- The Pyrenees National Park is hosting the first International Dark Sky Reserves (Rice) Congress this week at the summit of the Pic du Midi in the Pyrenees.
- In Mercantour, the Cevennes, above the Millevaches plateau and therefore in the Pyrenees, there are four rices in France in which local actors fight together against light pollution and the preservation of the night-time environment.
- In 20 minutes you’ll learn why it’s so important, whether for locals, tourists, insects and even hedgehogs.
They are as young as the stars have their ancestors. The International Dark Sky Reserves (Rice) were born in Canada in 2007 and were initially the responsibility of specialists. “They were created because astronomers no longer had access to the stars for their work. They were the first victims of increasing light pollution,” explains Nicolas Bourgeois, deputy director of the Pic du Midi. This Pyrenean site, with its famous scientific observatory, joined Rice’s very closed circle in 2013. In the following decade, three new French reserves were created: Les Rice des Cévennes, Alpes-Azur-Mercantour and des Millevaches.
Locally, mayors and communities are joining forces to reduce artificial lighting to a minimum and “preserve the nighttime environment.” For four good reasons, which 20 Minutes describes in detail.
Maintain visual access to the stars
“Access to the stars is critical to our humanity. We question ourselves through the stars and base our daily lives on the sky: the calendar, the weather, exploration,” emphasizes Nicolas Bourgeois. “We need contact with nature and the starry sky allows us to reconnect with it,” continues Héloïse Deutsch, project manager at the Pyrenees National Park. According to the two experts, more than a third of the world’s population no longer has access to the Milky Way, and it is Western countries that are most deprived of this access. “It is a free heritage and open to everyone, it is important to reclaim the night,” adds the former geography researcher.
Fortunately, access to the stars is threatened by the stars themselves. “It is one of the last parts of the environment that humans cannot destroy,” notes the deputy director of Pic du Midi. Thanks to this starry sky reserve; Tourists can now take advantage of completely clear skies to observe the immensity of the sky – weather permitting – and astronomers can continue their work without incident.
Protecting nocturnal biodiversity
According to Héloïse Deutsch, two thirds of invertebrates require the night for their life cycle. Strong lighting also affects disoriented migratory birds. “If you have a streetlight, insects are attracted to the light and circle around it and get tired. We have 150 insects that die every night per street lamp,” the speaker added.
Martens and even nocturnal hedgehogs are also affected. “An illuminated street is an insurmountable obstacle for them,” explains the project manager. In fact, night is a natural habitat for many species. As a reassurance, the two experts emphasize that biodiversity will return immediately if we work on lighting. The collaborative work at Rice will enable the development of conservation tools, such as creating ecological corridors and specialized lighting to reduce the impact of artificial light on nighttime habitats and species. “Since we pay attention to our lighting, we find fewer and fewer dead animals near streetlights,” points out Jean-Bertrand Dubarry, the mayor of Aulon, one of the 250 municipalities that participate in the 600 km2 area of the Pic du Midi reserve are.
Reducing light pollution on our health
Light pollution, which was not an issue until a few years ago, has become a social issue. “We are made to live for the day. These findings impact us. We need darkness for our biological cycle,” emphasizes Héloïse Deutsch. “We have made the night artificial.” According to experts, light pollution has harmful health effects with sleep disorders, delayed sleep onset, memory, mood and attention problems, cardiovascular risks, an increased risk of breast and prostate cancer, diabetes and obesity.
“Today in our village we can sleep with the windows open and breathe the fresh air without being affected by the light,” says Herr
Improve energy bills
Thanks to better lighting aimed at useful areas, especially downwards, lighting becomes more efficient without “polluting” biodiversity. Additionally, all light to the sky is reduced by 90%. And that shouldn’t result in tightening the pockets of elected officials. “Since 2011, we have been working with local stakeholders to reduce our light pollution. We changed our lighting to a Cosmowhite lamp. Thanks to directional lighting, we have reduced our exposure to light by 80%. Despite all the current sobriety problems, we were able to reduce our energy bill by 90%,” enthuses Jean-Bertrand Dubarry. At first the 93 residents of his mountain village gritted their teeth. “They said the witches would come back,” says the councilman. But “it’s back to normal.” There’s now even a real night path to enjoy the starry sky.
Currently, these nature reserves are only the result of an initiative between municipalities, national parks and energy unions. They are also only recognized by one label, the American International Dark Sky Association. Their wish at the first Congress of Dark Sky Reserves this week at Pic du Midi is to be better taken into account by French and European authorities to better address the problem of light pollution.