Lighting installations at popular stargazing sites on Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County were removed after protests by amateur astronomers and ecologists, who yesterday called on the government to reduce light pollution in national parks and ecologically sensitive areas.
Lamp posts were installed at Wuling (武嶺) and Kunyang (昆陽) area carparks last month, but they were removed on Wednesday night amid criticism from stargazers, who said that the lighting reduced visibility to see stars and threatened nocturnal wildlife.
Hehuanshan is popular among stargazers because of the relative absence of artificial lighting in the area and its easy accessibility via Provincial Highway No. 14.
Photo: Tung Chen-kuo, Taipei Times
Wuling, which is 3,257m above sea level, and Kunyang, at 3,085m, are the most popular spots because they have large parking areas.
However, stargazers said the installation of lighting at the two parking lots had degraded visitors’ experience.
The highway maintenance office in Puli Township (埔里), which is in charge of road maintenance in the area, said that the lights were installed at the end of last month because that section of the highway often has landslides or rock falls because of typhoons, torrential rainfall and earthquakes.
Chingjing Tourism Association director Lee Tsung-hsiu (李從秀) said that stargazing is one of the major tourist activities on Hehuanshan and the nearby Chingjing region, which attracts not only locals, but also international visitors.
Lee said that stargazers want to keep the night sky unimpaired by artificial light.
She said that the highway authority could install reflective boards to use light from vehicle headlights.
The Directorate General of Highways said it would use infrared cameras to monitor traffic in the area to avoid disturbing the ecosystem, Planning and Design Division director Lee Chung-chang (李忠璋) said yesterday.
The lamp posts removed from the carparks would be installed in Puli, Lee said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Kuo-shu (黃國書) said that the agency removed the lights in response to complaints, which shows that it did not investigate the effects artificial light might have on the ecosystem.
Light from a lamp post is a major source of light pollution, followed by store signboards, residential lighting and vehicular lighting, but the nation does not have any regulations on light pollution, Taipei Amateur Astronomers’ Association director Liu Chih-an (劉志安) said.
“Only a few mountainous areas are not affected by light pollution, including Wuling, Yushan’s Tataka Saddle in Nantou County and Dasyueshan (大雪山). The government should promulgate a light pollution reduction law, designate light-pollution zones and set pollution reduction goals,” Liu said.
Astronomy Union of Universities in Taiwan director Ou Po-sheng (歐柏昇) said a dark, starry sky should be considered a natural heritage feature as well as an important tourism resource.
Light pollution affects animals and plants, especially nocturnal wildlife, migratory birds and insects that are attracted to light, and a single lamp can disturb the equilibrium of the ecosystem because it can be the most visible thing at night time, Ou said.
“It does not mean we have to turn off all lights,” Ou said. “What we need is reasonable and efficient use of artificial light. The government needs to minimize light pollution and only use lights in areas that need it.”
Construction and Planning Agency National Park Division Deputy Director Hung Chi-yuan (洪啟源) said there are no regulations for light pollution and the agency would be glad to see the establishment of light-pollution-free zones in national parks.
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