After almost a decade of spreading awareness about the problem of light pollution and launching different actions to eradicate it, the non-governmental organization Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO) Birdlife has started a new campaign to collect seabirds. Especially, dazzled Cory's shearwater chicks.
The campaign will take place from October 21 to November 15, within the framework of the LifeNatura@night project.
The campaign takes place on these dates, which is when the Cory's shearwater juveniles leave their nests and begin their first flights to the sea. On that journey from land they will encounter dazzling caused by artificial light, with "a greater incidence on full moon days." Once on the ground, exotic species such as cats often prey on these defenseless specimens.
"This campaign to collect dazzled birds" - pointed out Yarci Acosta, delegate of SEO/BirdLife in the Canary Islands - could not be carried out without the collaboration of dozens of volunteers who, selflessly, dedicate their time to prevent the glare from preventing the shearwaters from making the first trip of their lives. They still have thousands of kilometers to travel and countless threats to face until they reach sexual maturity to return to the Canary Islands to reproduce. Since we are the ones who generate the light pollution that disorients them, this is the least we can do."
A volunteer program that grows year after year
The number of people who voluntarily participate in this initiative grows year after year, which implies that awareness of this threat is growing among citizens. In last year's rescue campaign, in the island of Tenerife alone, more than 3,200 specimens were collected. Most of them were able to be returned to the wild.
Life Natura@night Project
The Life Natura@Night project, 'For a night with more life', was launched in 2022 by the Spanish Ornithological Society (SEO/BirdLife), the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics (IAC) and the Canary Islands Technological Institute (ITC), who since then and for a period of four years are working together with SPEA Madeira (BirdLife in Portugal) in research and citizen dissemination actions to map and reduce light pollution in the archipelagos of Macaronesia. It is also about working with authorities and local communities to reduce this type of pollution, which favors more efficient and sustainable lighting.
The project, coordinated by SPEA, is specified in 27 protected areas of Macaronesia of the Natura 2000 network, with 150,000 hectares threatened by the loss of biodiversity due to the impact of artificial light at night, and aims to protect endemic birds, bats and insects that are harmed by artificial light at night.
In addition to the ten species of seabirds that nest in these archipelagos, nine native bat taxa and hundreds of nocturnal butterflies are also affected.