Taking advantage of the presence of our partners in the region, between 26 and the 29 of November, a series of events aimed at the population and allusive to light pollution took place.
There were plenty of curious people who gathered around the motto “for a night with more life”. Astronomy, biodiversity, culture and energy efficiency were some of the themes addressed in these public activities, which had about 250 participants.
September 26: “In the darkness of the night: blackout and stargaizing”
About 90 participants took part in an astronomy activity on the Promenade dos Reis Magos in Caniço, followed by an observation of the stars, in partnership with the Madeira Astronomy Association. Before the blackout, participants were able to see how difficult it is to view the stars due to light pollution. After the blackout, it was possible to observe Jupiter and its moons, as well as Saturn’s beautiful rings.
September 27: “A night with life in Garajau: in search of nocturnal biodiversity”
A map and a flashlight: little else was needed for this peddy-paper-style activity. During two hours of blackout, about 80 people got to know more about the nocturnal insects, bats and seabirds that inhabit our nights. In addition to the impact of light pollution on biodiversity, participants were able to learn some of the methods used to study these animal groups.
September 28: “Santa Cruz in the light of the stars: city’s heritage tour and night illuminance”
In a tour of the historic center of Santa Cruz, three dozen of interested people learned some of the rich cultural heritage of this city. Accompanied by historian Emanuel Gaspar, the rain was not enough to discourage the publics’ involvement. The illumination experts from the Fluxo de Luz Company enriched this experience with a lot of information about the master plan for public lighting in the municipality and how remote lighting management is a useful tool for every municipality.
29 September: Conference “Protecting the night in Macaronesia”
To conclude this series of four events, researchers from Madeira, Azores and Canary Islands raised awarness to the problem of light pollution and spoke about the work developed to minimize this threat. This conference took place at the Hotel Sentido Galomar, in Caniço, where we had about 50 participants.
September 30: Volunteer Activity
About 20 participants rolled up their sleeves to make the Ponta da Oliveira gardens, in Caniço, a more natural enviornment. After cleaning invasive plant species, such as the hottentot-fig (Carpobrotus edulis), they planted native coastal species, such as hellfigtrees, massarocos, marigolds, marcetelas and goivos.
“We wanted to provide different perspectives of what the nighttime holds, from astronomy to nocturnal animals, and explore how the concept of good street lighting is evolving in the face of light pollution – a threat with impacts not only on biodiversity, but also on human health,” explains Cátia Gouveia, coordinator of SPEA Madeira and the LIFE Natura@night project.
