When we think of conservation we often think of waterways,
mountains and endangered native species. However, we
seldom consider conserving the night sky. New Zealand is
often considered at the forefront of both conservation and astronomy.
In an attempt to marry these two concepts, Margaret
Austin, Alan Gilmore and the New Zealand Starlight Reserve
Committee (NZSRC) presented their case for the creation of
new conservation
zones
called starlight
reserves at a
United Nations
Educational,
Scientific
and Cultural
Organisation
(UNESCO)
conference
in Paris in
2009. Starlight
reserves is a concept idea in conservation being pushed by several major
observatories worldwide of which the Mt John observatory is
New Zealand’s proposed site. The NZSRC wishes to preserve
the night sky and the heritage associated with it at the Mt
John Observatory in Tekapo (Austin, Hearnshaw & Murray,
2009). The argument is that New Zealand should recognise the
importance of the night sky, not only due to its significance to
Maori, but also its significance to Pakeha settlers. One of the main driving factors behind the concept of starlight
reserves is that expansion of towns and cities and the streetlight
that accompanies it creates ‘light pollution’ that is quickly eating
up our ability to stargaze. As Mt John Observatory is relatively close to the Tekapo township the creation of a starlight reserve at the observatory as a conservation scheme could have significant impacts on planning in the area. The starlight reserve concept is one that should be of interest to planners.[Show full abstract]
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