Site characteristics & light modifications:
The region is already quite dark from the dike across the mudflats towards the North Sea, but behind the dike there is still a lot of light pollution. Together with all stakeholders, residents and companies we want to perform measurements and develop and implement new solutions with immersive learning technologies (VR/AR) on 3 demonstrator sites to make this region darker as Best Practice: public lighting, lighting of private objects (companies/farms/houses) and the pier will be adapted/removed/replaced. The three sites are managed by our project partner Landmakers.
The first area of interest is a harbour area with recreational and parking facilities at the end of a pier, which protrudes in the Wadden Sea, immediately adjacent to marshlands.
The second area of interest is an industrial area, enclosed by an agricultural rural open landscape, most of which is intensive agriculture (croplands) with bordering landscape elements (e.g. mainly roadsides and ditches, sometimes hedges, single shrubs/trees, mainly around buildings) as biodiversity carriers.
The third area of interest is the residential village of Holwerd itself, with gardens, roadsides, hedges, trees, and small forested areas as local biodiversity carriers.
The three areas are connected by a high traffic road. A major influence is the outer seawall between the harbour and the village.
The harbour is surrounded by Nature 2000 Area of the Wadden Sea, with many nature goals considering wetlands. The surrounding agricultural area have no specific conservation status.
The Wadden Sea area is well known for several red listed species. Also there are provincial policies for supporting certain species of Frisian interest (insects as moths and caddisflies). Several of these have bearing on the areas of interest. Local ecological corridors for the agricultural areas are mainly related to ditches and canals, with the adjacent banks, and the sea wall. The marsh areas around the harbour area are large and can be considered to serve core populations of insects as habitat.
There is a need for less light pollution, less energy consumption and more awareness of health and ecology/biodiversity. However, this is often at odds with regulations governing the enforcement of safety and traffic clarity. With DARKER SKY it will be a challenge with new insights and emerging technologies to deal with existing regulations of the municipality and the sense of safety of residents/companies/etc.
Environmental impacts of the lighting will be monitored in marine and terrestrial habitat before and after the modifications. Find out more about the ecological monitoring and the process of establishing the monitoring protocols here.