Peer review on the project “Night Light”
From 26th to 29th March Matera hosted the meeting on “Night Light”, the Interreg Europe project connected to the improvement of regional policies for reducing light pollution as well as to preserve and to enhance the night sky. The European partners of the project from Italy, the Netherlands, Hungary, Spain, Luxembourg, Denmark and Slovenia attended the meeting.
The main objectives of Matera-Basilicata 2019 Foundation and the Basilicata Region (the only Italian partners of the project) are: to exchange good practices for the definition of guidelines on lighting projects in natural parks which can combine design and technology; to start up the process for an international acknowledgement of dark skies in natural parks (i.e. the certifications “Starlight Destination” and “Dark Sky Park”).
Moreover, the project aims at identifying new opportunities for promoting astrotourism in the parks of Basilicata also in conformity with Matera 2019 programme, which foresees the implementation of some projects of the cluster “Dark Skies” focused on night sky, astronomy and reduction of light pollution. These projects aim at enhancing darkness and silence, two precious resources of Basilicata, which are at risk of extinction due to media saturation and excessive lighting of modern cities.
During the meeting we involved several communities of the Basilicata Region which had the opportunity to present their activities to the European partners: the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera, the Astronomical Observation Centre in Anzi,the Space Geodesy Centre of Matera, the Regional Park of Gallipoli Cognato, the Tourist District “Terre di Aristeo”, the Centre of Environmental Education (CEA) of Matera and Montescaglioso, Onyx Jazz Club, MaterElettrica and the Conservatory of Music E.R.Duni of Matera. Moreover, we started sharing information and good practices with the group Pibinko from Tuscany with the aim of a future collaboration. The group will organise an international symposium on preservation and enhancement of night sky in Capraia next September. We took our guests to Castelmezzano, the Regional Park of Gallipoli Gognato, the Astronomical Observation Centre in Anzi where we were fascinated by the observation of stars in the night sky, the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera with its centre of environmental education and finally the Space Geodesy Centre of Matera.
A document summarizing the views emerged during these days alongside the recommendations by the experts has been drawn up.
For further details you can visit the site.
