At least 3,250 juvenile seabirds (according to provisional figures), especially Cory’s Shearwatersvictims of the Light pollution They have been rescued in Tenerife between October 15 and November 15, within the campaign to rescue dazzled chickens organized by the Tenerife Cabildo and in which SEO/BirdLife has participated. This figure gives an idea of the scope of the problem, which occurs with similar intensity, and sometimes greater, in other areas of Spain, given the increasing over-illumination of urban and tourist centers.
The campaign has taken place in the municipalities of La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, El Rosario, Candelaria, Güimar and Arafo, with the support of volunteers. The days with the highest accident rate were from November 6 to 12.
After collecting the injured birds, they were assisted at the La Tahonilla Wildlife Recovery Center, from where, Once checked, they were released next to the sea to take their first flight.
In addition to rescue groups, the citizen collaboration made it possible to detect and collect most of the birds, with calls to 112 or 900 28 22 28 (for the island of Tenerife).
Life Natura@night Project
For second consecutive Year The campaign to collect dazzled birds has been included as an activity within the Life Natura@night projectthrough the so-called scientific seabird rescue brigades, also with the help of volunteers previously trained for this purpose.
The objective of this action developed in the pilot municipalities of the project, Buenavista del Norte, in Tenerife, and Mogán, in Gran Canaria, is to improve the data on the collection of spotted shearwaters, relating them to the type of lighting, which will serve to make changes in both public and private outdoor lighting.
Life Natura@night is a project with European funding which precisely seeks to raise awareness and act against the effects of artificial night light (LAN) in 27 protected areas of the Macaronesian archipelagos (in addition to the Canary Islands, on the islands of Madeira and the Azores).
In the project’s territory, this autumn seabird rescue campaigns in Madeira saved 123 birds, thanks to the combined efforts of 93 volunteers. In the Azores, more than 300 volunteers rescued 119 birds in Graciosa, 154 in Corvo and 357 in São Miguel.
These are figures of seabirds dazzled on six islands in the Macaronesia region, of the total of 20 islands that make up the three archipelagos, in which It is estimated that 1,100 seabirds die each year due to light pollution, a serious problem in the breeding areas of species that belong to the most endangered group of birds in the world.
Symbolic lighting blackout
In some of the pilot territories of the three archipelagos in which the project operates, a symbolic blackout occurred on October 30. In the Canary Islands it took place in Mogán, public lighting being suspended the night of that day from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., an action in which several hotels joined. The purpose was to raise awareness among citizens of the need to reduce light pollution to ensure the protection of biodiversity and energy savings.
Life Natura@night is based on decades of work by SPEA and SEO/BirdLife in the Macaronesia region and aims to go beyond rescuing seabirds by preventing them from falling into accidents in the first place. Project partners include local government agencies and lighting companies working together to implement more efficient lighting.
In this sense, it is alsoBinding lighting plans are being developed and will be implemented by local authorities and which are expected to set the standard for seabird- and environmentally friendly public lighting in the region.
The harms of light pollution
Light pollution not only affects birds, but also numerous populations of insects (most of which are nocturnal and therefore require darkness to develop). However, it also affects human health itself, since numerous studies show that excess artificial light stimulates the appearance of serious diseases in people and makes it difficult to get the necessary rest during nighttime hours.
It is also the main enemy of astronomical observation and studies, since artificial light ‘erases’ the stars from the sky and reduces the brightness of nebulae, galaxies and star clusters, according to scientists.
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