Lighting governance for protected areas and beyond – Identifying the urgent need for sustainable management of artificial light at night

AubrechtetalArticles, Earth Observation, Ecosystems, Original, Sustainability

Figure 1: Data from DMSP-OLS, nighttime lights of the world, sample figure.

Figure 1: Data from DMSP-OLS, nighttime lights of the world, sample figure.The importance of an “urban lighting governance” framework for control and management of artificial night lighting, particularly in close proximity to protected areas, and for raised awareness of the issue of light pollution and related ecological consequences is documented in this article.

‘When the Lights Stay On’ – A Novel Approach to Assessing Human Impact on the Environment

AubrechtetalArticles, Biodiversity, Earth Observation, Original

Cropped image showing nights shining at night.A consequence of the explosive expansion of human civilization has been the global loss of biodiversity and changes to life-sustaining geophysical processes of Earth. The footprint of human occupation is uniquely visible from space in the form of artificial night lighting – ranging from the burning of the rainforest to massive offshore fisheries to omnipresent lights of cities, towns, and villages.