“Half the park is after dark” Dark sky parks and reserves: New concepts and tools to grant nature heritage status

« Half the park is after dark ». Les parcs et réserves de ciel étoilé : nouveaux concepts et outils de patrimonialisation de la nature

Bruno Charlier (1, 2) , Nicolas Bourgeois (3)

1 Passages
2 UPPA - Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour
3 Régie du Pic du Midi

There currently exists 44 dark sky parks and reserves (also known as “starlight reserves”. Rarely created from nothing, they are often founded within already protected spaces (natural monuments, national parks, biosphere reserves…) whose protective measures are thus increased to include starry skies and nocturnal environments. Parks encompass the area in its entirety whereas reserves designate a core protected area within a larger space. Their creation illustrates the emergence of new forms of protection and the development of natural heritage whose concepts are rapidly spreading throughout European countries.

Mots clés: Dark-sky parks; Dark-sky reserve; light pollution; wilderness; Dark-sky parks; Dark-sky reserve; light pollution; wilderness

Domaines: Géographie; Etudes de l'environnement

Bruno Charlier, Nicolas Bourgeois. “Half the park is after dark” Dark sky parks and reserves: New concepts and tools to grant nature heritage status. Espace Géographique, 2013, 42 (3), p. 200 à 212. ⟨10.3917/eg.423.0200⟩. ⟨halshs-01590518⟩