International Dark Sky Reserve

Know the night, to better preserve it? This is the objective of the Périgord-Limousin Park!

The Périgord Limousin Regional Natural Park is currently working on an application for the “International Dark Sky Reserve (RICE)” label.

The Park still has a quality night, compared to certain more urban areas. But this night is threatened. Light pollution, although largely ignored until recently, is now clearly identified as detrimental to health, nocturnal biodiversity and the observation of the starry sky. This is why the Park is committed, with other local stakeholders, to preserving the nocturnal environment and visual access to the starry sky.

In 2018, this commitment was formalized with the desire to launch an application for the “International Dark Sky Reserve (RICE)” label awarded by the International Dark Sky Association (IDA). This project is an interesting lever for action to bring coherence to public and private lighting policies at the scale of the Park (or even neighboring towns) and to publicize the riches of the nocturnal world.

In 2019, the Park recruited the Dark Sky Lab design office to establish an inventory of light pollution on its territory. This diagnosis was finalized in 2021 after several thousand sky quality measurements.

To co-construct this project, a steering committee was set up. It brings together a diversity of stakeholders such as communities, energy unions, the national association for the protection of the starry sky and the nocturnal environment, astronomy clubs, etc.

Thanks to collective work, the project is moving forward!

In 2021, the Park validated a lighting management plan. It is one of the key elements of the application for the RICE label. This document is a real roadmap, which aims to guide public and private actors in their management of artificial outdoor lighting. It is based on the criteria of the International Dark Sky Association (IDA) which awards the RICE label.

All the municipalities in the Park were asked to join the project. 58 municipalities responded favorably by deliberation in the municipal council.

For several years, the Park has regularly offered activities and training for elected officials, the general public and young audiences so that everyone can reclaim the (dark) night!

For more information, contact us: 05 53 55 36 00