Feasibility Study for the protection of the Dark Sky in Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Styria

A dark night sky as well as the view of the Milky Way has become a rare phenomenon in Central Europe. Illuminations that light up the sky also or especially at night are not only a danger for the view of the stars. Also the human organism as well as nature, here above all nocturnal species, react sensitively to the brightening of the night. One of Austrias areas that very low affected by light pollution is located in Austria in the border triangle of Styria, Lower Austria and Upper Austria. Here, several high-ranking protected areas can currently be found, which form an ideal basis for an international protected area for the nature night. In the project, which is funded by the federal government and the EU, a possible dark sky protected area, its zoning and category are to be worked out. Finally, a concrete roadmap towards better light protection is to be developed, which will enable a submission to an international organization. Partner: UWD, Nationalpark Gesäuse, Nationalpark Kalkalpen, Wildnisgebiet Dürrenstein-Lassingtal, Naturpark Ötscher-Tormäuer.

Foto: Andreas Hollinger