LIFE Natura@night: Restoring dark skies for seabirds

At night, the reflected lights of coastal towns can almost seem to dance on the sea surface. But this beauty also has a sinister side – it is killing seabirds. The glow of artificial light is a threat to many bird species and other animals. On the Madeira, the Azores and the Canary Islands,  LIFE Natura@night is trying to tackle the problem. 

Macaronesia – the Atlantic archipelagos that include the Canary Islands, Azores and Madeira – is home to 10 breeding species of seabird that are sensitive to light pollution alongside other animals including bats. 

Yet, in recent years, light pollution there has increased as urban areas have expanded, according to data collected by a network of photometers installed across 14 of the islands as part of an earlier project Interreg EELabs. 

Light pollution is a particular problem for young seabirds. Juvenile Cory’s Shearwater, for example, use the moon and stars to guide them when leaving their nests for the first time in late autumn to head out to the sea, where they will spend the next seven years before reaching reproductive maturity and returning to the land. Bright streetlights, floodlights and car headlights can disorientate them, causing the birds to collapse from exhaustion, collide with buildings or land in towns, making them easy prey for cats and rats.  

The LIFE Natura@night project is mapping the extent of light pollution on the islands and using this to develop less harmful public lighting master plans in partnership with a number of municipalities. This includes  changing traditional light bulbs for new LED ones, which are much more efficient, not only helping birds but also offering significant economic savings for the municipalities. The Municipality of Câmara de Lobos in Madera, for example, recently installed 66 new LED lights that minimise blue light emissions, which are through to have a particular impact on birds and insects. 

Over the course of the 4-year project, which is due to end in 2026, the project partners hope to remove 437 lighting units from sensitive areas in Madeira as a pilot step. They are also working with local authorities to install directed lighting that focus illumination onto the ground rather than into the sky. 

“Light pollution is a little-known type of pollution, but with significant impacts both on biodiversity and on human health,” says Cátia Gouveia, coordinator of the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA) Madeira – one of 13 partners on LIFE Natura@Night. 

Other animals affected by light pollution, such as bats and insects, will also be helped by the measures. People in the area will also benefit as excessive artificial light at night has been linked to a range of health issues. 

LIFE Natura@Night has coordinated teams of volunteers and conservation experts to scour the islands in search of disorientated young birds. In November 2023, they rescued more than 800 birds stranded on the ground across five islands, helping them to the sea. 

Reducing light pollution is a priority in the European Commission's 8^th Environmental Action Plan, and is one of the areas being targeted by the Zero Pollution Action Plan. The European Commission has also published a Future Brief highlighting some of the measures that can be taken to reduce light pollution. 

LIFE Natura@Night also contributes to the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive the Habitats Directive, the Birds Directive, the  EUROBATS Convention, and the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.