With the arrival of Christmas, light shows are increasing in a “race” in which "the impact" they have on biodiversity is not being considered. Currently there is a great variety of Christmas events that feature artificial light and are also accompanied by sound resources with consequences that affect the environment.
Some examples in botanical gardens or public parks are those located in the Palmetum of Tenerife, the Torre Girona gardens in Barcelona or the Tierno Galván park in Madrid; but they also occur in streets and tree-lined avenues full of lights such as in Vigo or in Cantabria where the tallest tree in Europe has been placed. All this adds to the usual increase in lighting during the Christmas season, increasing the negative impact on different wild species that live in the cities.
Environmental and social impacts
These facilities entail an increase in energy consumption in a context of climate emergency, a notable increase in public use in sensitive areas and, in the case of shows such as Naturaleza Encendida, an occupation of public space for the profit of private companies. This year, shows of this type have been scheduled in the Palmetum Botanical Garden of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in the Artxanda viewpoint in Bilbao, in the Enrique Tierno Galván park in Madrid and in the Torre Girona park in Barcelona. All of them are public parks that serve as a refuge for many species of wildlife within the urban area, which are likely to suffer disturbances and damage from the installations, the noise, the lights and the notable increase in the influx of visitors during the two months in which the shows will be open.
In addition to the shows, a very unsustainable city lighting model is being promoted. For example, in Vigo this year 2,308 trees will be decorated and it is quite likely that some of them will serve as a winter roost for sparrows, wagtails and other birds, for which it will be difficult to find an alternative place to rest during the two months that Christmas lasts in the city.
From the Spanish Ornithological Society SEO/BirdLife, they request that city councils and those responsible for public spaces apply the "precautionary principle" when promoting and authorizing this type of show, "avoiding" in particular its location in "green areas and trees", since they can have "environmental impacts that are not previously evaluated and are contrary to energy saving policies, resource consumption and conservation of wild species, in a context of climate emergency and biodiversity loss."
Impact of light pollution
"Most organisms, including humans, have evolved in natural environments under the influence of day and night cycles. The artificial alteration of light levels, that is, light pollution, has effects on rest, communication between individuals, reproduction, behavior, predation and competition, which can trigger a cascade of direct impacts on the functioning of ecosystems," BirdLife stressed.
"The impact of light pollution is very well documented for seabirds, one of the most threatened groups. Specifically, for some species of shearwaters, petrels and storm petrels it is recognized as one of their main threats. In the Canary Islands it poses a great threat to protected areas and seabirds that SEO/BirdLife is working to reduce in the Life Natura@night project."
"For their part, insects are attracted to lights and become more susceptible to predators, flying endlessly around them. With an important role in ecosystems, the decline of their populations affects the conservation of birds, bats and plants (flora or crops) that they pollinate. As another example, some frogs have their reproductive behaviors affected, showing less selectivity when choosing a partner or even ceasing their reproductive activity in the presence of artificial night light," they highlight.
"Visual communication is another of the processes affected by light pollution. Those species that use light to communicate are especially affected, as would be the case of some bioluminescent earthworms that, in the presence of artificial light, have difficulty seeing the light signals they emit. The visual communication system of fireflies could also be affected by artificial light. In general, given the importance of vision in many animals and the response it generates, it is logical to think that artificial light has an impact on their behavior."
"Humans are no exception to this problem. The alteration of human biological clocks due to light pollution is related to difficulty falling asleep, alteration of eating habits and digestion, alteration of the secretion of certain hormones or even the control of body temperature, among others."
