There is currently an existing demand for clear night skies, with some tourists travelling specifically to areas with dark skies due to the loss of clear night skies in their areas (also known as Astro-tourism – travel that involves viewing of the night sky or visiting other astronomy-related facilities, such as observatories). With light pollution expected to increase at two percent per year (Kyba et al., 2017), there is an ever-increasing need to protect dark skies.
Figure 1: the Milky Way
Work is currently underway in many states to propose legislation to conserve and expand dark sky areas. The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is an organisation that has also been established to conserve dark skies around the world, acknowledging the value in conserving these dark skies. For instance, in the United States alone, there are more than 60 dark sky parks (Brooklyn, 2021) including the Grand Canyon and the Big Bend National Parks, although only 12 of America’s 63 national parks are certified by the IDA. The proposed Southeastern Utah Night Sky Reserve is also set to be the largest International Dark Sky Reserve, if the plan comes to life, spanning 20,200 square miles and 16 towns and cities.
The designation of night skies reserves is a milestone towards protecting our natural spectacles. However, even with the designation of more night sky reserves, there is still a need to increase awareness and policy regulations that target existing skies affected by light pollution. The implications of light pollution are specific to light-polluted areas (i.e see health impacts of light pollution on individuals living in light-polluted areas, in my earlier post). Hence, rather than simply demarcating “worthy” skies to be protected and turning on more lights in other areas, all skies should be protected by legislation by regulating light available.
Stay tuned for the next post as we explore the value in preserving night skies, and the astronomy sector in our little red dot!
References
Brooklyn, C. (2021). [online] Travel. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/dark-sky-tourism-is-on-the-rise-in-the-us
Claro, M. (2019). The Milky Way Sparkles Over Portugal’s Newest “Starlight Tourism Destination” (Photo). [online] Space.com. Available at: https://www.space.com/dark-sky-schist-villages-starlight-tourist-destination.html
Eskins, J. (2021). Where to Go Stargazing: These States Are Going All In on Astrotourism. [online] Condé Nast Traveler. Available at: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/stargazing-tourism-is-the-next-big-thing-for-these-states