Ibercivis, together with the Agrupación Astronómica Aragonesa, has launched the Community of Practice of the European project PLAN-B, which studies how to reduce the effects of artificial light at night on biodiversity.
Interested citizens are already measuring Zaragoza’s light with lux meters during night walks and uploading the data to Open-red. 17,000 measurements have been recorded in Spain and in several cities in Finland, Poland and Austria.
We take science to the streets of Zaragoza
The PLAN-B project works to understand and mitigate the impacts of artificial light at night (ALAN) on terrestrial biodiversity. Its Spanish pilot, in Zaragoza, recently reached an important milestone. At Ibercivis, we coordinated a meeting to present the project, strengthen local capacities and launch practical citizen science activities in collaboration with the Agrupación Astronómica Aragonesa (AAA), one of the most active amateur astronomy and dark-sky advocacy organisations in the region.
Laying the foundations of the Zaragoza Community of Practice
One of the pillars of PLAN-B is the creation of Communities of Practice (CoPs) in its four European pilot areas: Gdansk, Leipzig, Belo Horizonte and Zaragoza. These communities bring together a “quadruple helix” of diverse stakeholders (local public authorities, researchers, naturalists, representatives of the local business sector and citizens) who share an interest in protecting darker, quieter ecosystems.
The meeting was led by our director, Francisco Sanz, developer of the Open-red data visualisation platform and the citizen science app Lost at Night, and by Alejandro Sánchez de Miguel, a PLAN-B researcher.
During the session with the Agrupación Astronómica Aragonesa, attendees learned about PLAN-B’s objectives, its open-access database and the upcoming public policy instruments to reduce light and noise pollution. The session formally established the Zaragoza Community of Practice: a local network of people who help spread the word and collaborate actively, committed to monitoring environmental quality in urban and peri-urban areas.
Lux meters, night walks and the Open-red platform
Citizen science makes it possible to turn local interest in light pollution into useful data. To this end, in this first campaign with the Agrupación Astronómica Aragonesa we provided participants with calibrated lux meters and light meters.
With these devices, participants take guided night observation walks around Zaragoza. During the walks they measure ambient light levels in different urban areas, parks and natural corridors. The data are uploaded to Open-red, our open data platform, and form an accessible repository built by the community itself.
These street-level data complement PLAN-B’s high-resolution satellite imagery and aerial mapping. They help identify the “dark corridors” worth protecting and the areas where excess light affects nocturnal wildlife and human wellbeing.
Since measurement activities began, 17,000 measurements have been recorded, taken by participants in various parts of Spain and in European cities in Finland, Poland and Austria.
How to take part in the Zaragoza pilot
The Zaragoza Community of Practice is open to anyone who wants to contribute to a darker, more sustainable environment, whether from astronomy, studies, life in the neighbourhood or environmental advocacy. Those who would like to join the upcoming night walks can write to our local team at dlisbona[at]ibercivis.es.
Those who prefer to take part from home can do so with the Lost at Night app, which allows users to georeference photographs taken by astronauts from the International Space Station.
Progress, maps and results from participants in Zaragoza and beyond will be published on the PLAN-B blog and social channels.