Thursday, February 20, 2025

France’s Latest Dark-Sky Preserve Honored for Efforts to Combat Light Pollution

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The Landes de Gascogne regional park in Nouvelle-Aquitaine has been designated as a dark-sky preserve by DarkSky International, recognizing its efforts to reduce public lighting and consequently enhance stargazing opportunities, with up to 4,000 stars now visible. This acknowledgment, awarded on February 12, marks the park as the sixth dark-sky area in France. Covering over 3,000 km² across Gironde, Landes, and Lot-et-Garonne, the park achieved this status through successful collaboration with 53 local communes and 29 neighboring areas to minimize light pollution. Park manager Vincent Dedieu expressed pride in the prestigious label, emphasizing the project’s dual benefits of promoting energy conservation and potentially boosting local tourism, while savings on electricity costs have also garnered positive community responses from mayors like Bruno Gardère.

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