A Starlight Reserve is a protected natural space where a commitment is made to protect the quality of the night sky and access to starlight. Its function is to preserve the quality of the night sky and the different associated values, whether cultural, scientific, astronomical, scenic or natural.
The Starlight Reserve has several areas:
- Core or exclusion zone : This is where the natural lighting conditions and clarity of the night sky remain intact.
- Protection zone : Located around the core area and serves to cushion the adverse effects related to light and atmospheric pollution that may affect it.
- General scope area : This is an area outside the Reserve but nearby and therefore where intelligent and responsible lighting criteria should be applied to protect the quality of the night sky.
The requirements of a Starlight Reserve will specifically address the characteristics, uniqueness and functions of each space, whether related to the preservation of astronomical observation conditions, those related to the conservation of nature, the integrity of nocturnal landscapes or related cultural heritage sites.
The concept of Starlight Reserve is accompanied in each case by a participatory Action Plan and a set of recommendations aimed at preserving or restoring the quality of the night sky to the limits possible in light of its cultural, educational, scientific and environmental benefits.
Tourist destinations
Starlight Tourist Destinations are places that can be visited and that have excellent qualities for contemplating starry skies and, as they are protected from light pollution, are especially suitable for developing tourist activities based on this natural resource.
Starlight Tourist Destinations must not only demonstrate the quality of their skies and the means to guarantee their protection, but also the appropriate infrastructure and activities related to the tourist offer (accommodation, observation facilities available to visitors, training of staff responsible for astronomical interpretation, etc.) and their integration into nocturnal nature. In the event that the place does not yet have these infrastructures and activities, the Foundation assesses the project that exists to develop them in the future.
The Starlight Tourism Certification System was created with the aim of promoting, throughout the planet, the improvement of the quality of tourist experiences and the protection of the night skies in Starlight Destinations.
Certification as a Starlight Tourist Destination requires following a specific procedure established by the Foundation.
Starlight Villages
The Starlight Village certification is aimed at small towns with their own identity and a mainly rural character, which seek to diversify their economy through the development of astrotourism, with the aim of promoting the economic and sustainable growth of the territory and avoiding its depopulation.
This type of certification is similar to what a Starlight Tourist Destination could be, but on a smaller scale and with more limited activities and objectives.
Accommodations
Starlight Rural Houses and Hotels are a qualification awarded by the Foundation to those establishments that, in addition to offering accredited accommodation quality, become propagators of the values contained in the Declaration of La Palma, in Defense of the Night Sky and the Right to Starlight.
In addition, they provide their clients with information about Starlight and some means for astronomical observation and are involved as active agents in the propagation of astronomical culture, offering simple equipment for night-time observation.
- Hotels
- Rural tourism accommodation:
- Tourist accommodation:
Star Parks
In 2010, the Starlight initiative launched the Star Park campaign, together with Astronomers Without Borders (AWB) and other organisations. The idea is to promote and identify, worldwide, the existence of spaces in every town and city where the minimum conditions for enjoying the starry sky are respected. Star Parks are permanent infrastructures of very varied nature, which are installed in places with a clear, dark sky and which allow the development of outreach and educational activities linked to astronomical contemplation and observation. Logically, there are infrastructures that combine both concepts and, most importantly, their capacity to spread astronomy and create a passion for knowing more about the Universe and the advances that are achieved in its knowledge.
Starlight Trails
The Starlight Trails category is one of the least known, but also one of the most interesting for astrotourists. This accreditation covers those paths, greenways or trails whose route allows the contemplation of a starry sky of Starlight quality, always linked to the cultural and natural heritage associated with starlight.
The Starlight Trails are designed for astrotourism and enjoying the night landscape, through facilities that respect the natural habitat, such as starlight panels or viewing points, which do not produce light pollution.
Cultural monument
The Starlight Foundation has the possibility of granting other types of accreditation to those spaces, activities, companies, etc. that meet a series of favorable requirements for stargazing and promote the development of activities related to this natural resource. To do this, a study is carried out on the resources and values of the place, the qualifications of the human team responsible for managing it, the offer of quality tourist products linked to the natural and cultural resources of the territory, etc.
Companies:
Other resources for Astrotourism in Castilla y León
