The Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda plans to declare the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park and the Alt Pirineu Natural Park spaces protected from light pollution this autumn. In this way, this area of the western Pyrenees will become the "most important light protection area in Europe".
The general director of Environmental Quality and Climate Change, Mireia Boya, explained that 13 of the 16 municipalities that make up this area already have maximum protection. In the future, this large area could be joined by the Montsec area. The general director has highlighted the health benefits of this measure and the economic revitalization of the municipalities.
Boya has presented this Wednesday July 5 in Sort the economic and technical boost throughout Catalonia to reform lighting installations. In fact, all the Catalan municipalities declared a maximum protection area will now be able to enjoy priority financial aid. Boya has announced that "financing for lighting improvement actions has been expanded, offering 100% financing to municipalities and all technical support".
Every year the Department of Climate Action summons grants for the adaptation of outdoor lighting, aimed at local authorities throughout Catalonia with an endowment of 500,000 euros this year 2023. They have recently approved an integrating project exclusively aimed at reducing environmental impact of lighting in areas of special protection against light pollution. This project contemplates an investment of more than 9 million euros until the year 2028, from the Climate Fund.
The planned annual investment in aid for local authorities is between 500,000 and 1,900,000 euros/year, which will be distributed through calls for subsidies. A specific economic item will also be allocated to privately owned establishments, with aid between 100,000 and 200,000 euros per year between 2024 and 2028.
The purpose of the project is to protect and enhance the natural night environment of the most privileged areas of Catalonia, and at the same time reduce greenhouse gas emissions derived from the consumption of energy for lighting, by a minimum of 60% in outdoor lighting installations and in other municipalities with less than 1,000 inhabitants, which are normally close to areas of high natural value.
In a first phase "it is expected to affect actions in the National Park of Aigüestortes and Estany de Sant Maurici, in the Natural Park of the High Pyrenees and in the natural area of the Sierra del Montsec", explained the general director. In a second phase, they will focus on the Natural Park of the Sierra de Montsant and the Natural Park of Els Ports. In total, it is expected that there will be more than a hundred Catalan municipalities involved in projects to protect against light pollution.
Territories that want to be protected from light draw up action plans with measures to prevent and correct existing light pollution, define the characteristics that outdoor lighting in the area should have, raise awareness actions, as well as propose integrating the night sky within the tourism strategy of the territory to create new opportunities for the local economy.
Within this framework, the Alt Pirineu Natural Park has included in its Action Plan the creation of a network of some 16 viewpoints, easily accessible by car or on foot, with explanatory signs for astronomy-related activities. One of them will be located in the port of Cantó (Pallars Sobirà) which will be operational at the end of the year. Place visited by the General Director of Environmental Quality and Climate Change, Mireia Boya.
