At night, two seabirds fly along a headland, toward a radiant full moon. Natural darkness has conservation value in the same way as clean water, air and soil, and should be protected.DESCRIPTION: An animated video. The new guidelines will be presented to CMS Parties for adoption at the 14th Conference of the Parties to CMS in 2023.

New international guidelines focusing on migratory land birds and bats are currently being developed under CMS. These include six simple management principles which can be used to reduce light pollution. Internationally agreed guidelines on light pollution covering marine turtles, seabirds and migratory shorebirds already exist and have been endorsed by the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Numerous governments, cities, companies and communities around the world are already taking steps to address light pollution. Solutions to address impacts of light pollution are readily available. Seabirds such as petrels and shearwaters commonly get drawn into hazardous situations on land and on ships by artificial light sources. Many nocturnally migrating birds such as ducks, geese, plovers, sandpipers and songbirds of all kinds are affected by light pollution. Migration routes can be affected by artificial light at night through birds being attracted to light, or conversely through aversion.Īn enormous diversity of birds, active both nocturnally and diurnally, experience impacts of light pollution. Artificial light at night can impact the timing of migration and other seasonal behaviours influenced by the disruption of birds’ biological clocks. It affects their activity levels and energy expenditure and causes disorientation when they fly at night.

It can alter birds’behaviours, including migration, foraging and vocal communication.

Light pollution can cause other adverse effects on migratory birds. Excessive artificial light at night can disorient birds during their migration, leading to fatal collisions with illuminated buildings, communication towers, and other brightly lit structures. The amount of artificial light on the earth’s surface is increasing by at least 2 percent each year and could be much greater.Įach year, light pollution contributes to the death of millions of birds from collisions.

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