Darker Sky

The Darker Sky project aims to reduce light pollution in the North Sea region, a major environmental problem with impacts on both biodiversity and human health. Light pollution results from excessive or poorly directed artificial light, which disrupts the natural rhythms of animals and interrupts ecological connections. This international collaborative project brings together 13 partners from the Netherlands, France, Germany and Denmark, including universities, national parks, ports and municipalities.

Innovative Lighting Solutions for Biodiversity.

One of Darker Sky's main goals is to develop sustainable lighting solutions that reduce the negative effects of artificial light on nature. The project focuses on protecting sensitive areas, such as the Wadden Sea, by creating dark ecological corridors that promote biodiversity. Demonstrator sites in the Netherlands, France and Germany will show how these solutions work in practice and how they can be applied to protect nature without compromising human safety.

Science and Collaboration

The University of Groningen (RUG) plays a key role in the Darker Sky project, with expertise in astronomy and biology. The RUG is responsible for measuring the brightness of the night sky and contributes to the development of policy recommendations. This knowledge is shared with other partners in the project, including local governments and nature organizations, to ensure that the solutions are widely applicable.

Darker Sky is not only a technical and scientific project, but also makes a strong commitment to public participation. Through awareness campaigns and citizen science projects, local communities and schools are involved in monitoring light pollution. In this way, Darker Sky contributes to raising awareness about the importance of darkness for both the environment and people's well-being.

The project runs from 2023 to 2026 and is 60% funded by Interreg North Sea. Want to know more about the project? Then contact project leader Nynke Visser (Science LinX) at nynke.visser@rug.nl or visit the official Darker Sky project page at https://www.interregnorthsea.eu/darker-sky.

Partners:

• Het Laboratorium Géoarchitecture van de UBO (Projectleider)
• Brest Métropole (FR)

• Vrije en Hanzestad Hamburg (D)

• Hogeschool van Hamburg (D)

• Carl von Ossietzky Universiteit van Oldenburg (D)

• Autoriteit van het Nationaal Park van de Nedersaksische Waddenzee (D)

• Havens van Nedersaksen Maatschappij (D)

• Gemeenschappelijk Secretariaat van de Waddenzee (D)

• Landmakers Cooperatie U.A. (NL)

• Gemeente Heerenveen (NL)

• Stichting Van Hall Larenstein (NL)

• Universiteit van Groningen (NL)

• Universiteit van Aarhus (DK)