Making a nature-friendly dark harbour of Lauwersoog
Site characteristics & light modifications:
This demonstrator site in the harbour of Lauwersoog is managed by our project partner the University of Groningen. The area includes a Wadden Sea harbour, a quay, traffic roads and coastal habitats. The harbour itself does not belong to a Natura 2000 area, but is situated between the National Park Lauwersmeer (which is also a Dark Sky Park) and the Wadden Sea which is classified as Natura 2000 area. The area around and the harbour itself are used for fishing, ship building, tourism and ferry to Schiermonnikoog.
The harbour of Lauwersoog contains a so-called Harbour-Coalition, with representatives from all port companies and stakeholders. The coalition has brought forward a wish that they want to significantly reduce the light pollution in the harbour. This provides promising outlooks to successful implementations of light reduction solutions and to also function as a transnational lighthouse demonstrator to other Wadden Sea ports. The light modifications will concern road lighting and harbour activity lighting.
Environmental impacts of the lighting will be monitored in marine and terrestrial habitat before and after the modifications. Find out more about the ecological monitoring and the process of establishing the monitoring protocols here.