22nd Dec 2021 @ 10:55 am

New light sensors have been installed in Timanfaya National Park to study the effects of night light pollution on the national park’s fauna.

Photo: Gobierno de Canarias.

A collaboration of 5 different organisations sees the installation of a network of light sensors to collect data and measure the levels of nighttime light pollution on the national park.

The Councillor for Ecological Transition, José Antonio Valbuena, stated that the installation is part of a project which aims to measure and cut down on the effects of light pollution.

The Timanfaya National Park Director, Pascual Gil Muñoz, highlighted “in addition to the landscape, geology and biodiversity of Timanfaya, the park also needs to monitor the quality of the air and sky, levels of darkness and sound pollution.

In the coming years we want to focus on this and monitor them, not only because of their influence on the health of the park ecosystem, but also for the tourists that visit the park”.  

It’s important to note that the Timanfaya ecosystem is delicate and even minor changes could have a negative effect on the plants, insects and birds that live in the park.

For the reasons state above, Valbuena emphasises that the study will generate the necessary data to better protect the park ecosystem against nocturnal night pollution.

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