[The PLAN-B Network] Updates of the AquaPLAN project

The PLAN-B Network is a space for the dissemination of the activities of our sister projects and aims to foster a network of European initiatives working together to mitigate the effects of light and noise pollution. The Aqua-PLAN project shares with us its last updates.

Acoustic Data Analysis

AquaPLAN partner Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN) organised an ‘Acoustic Data Analysis’ Workshop for the AquaPLAN consortium to attend online on 12 November 2024. SZN has expertise in bioacoustics, ecoacoustics and the monitoring of Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) in marine ecosystems. Learn more.

AquaPLAN Visualisation Portal: First map of European aquatic habitats with both light and noise pollution revealed.

AquaPLAN has produced the first interactive map of European marine and freshwater habitats affected by both light and noise pollution (LNP). The AquaPLAN Visualisation Portal is the first step in managing the combined impacts of LNP on aquatic biodiversity in our rivers, lakes, coastal and offshore waters. Led by Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), the AquaPLAN Visualisation Portal allows users to view layers of data, separately or simultaneously, on marine and freshwater artificial light pollution and anthropogenic noise pollution. Existing habitat maps will also be made available in the future so that the combined impacts of these anthropogenic pollutants can be seen as we develop a risk matrix framework. Lead researcher, Tim Smyth (PML) said: “While our understanding of how LNP affects aquatic biodiversity has dramatically improved in recent decades. Evidence suggests that these effects are prevalent globally in all aquatic habitats. There are still many critical knowledge gaps, we need better datasets to understand how to monitor, protect and restore aquatic biodiversity effectively. The AquaPLAN Visualisation Portal will allow us to take the first steps to better management and reduce these combined impacts”. PML are demonstrating the capabilities of the Portal to AquaPLAN participants at online workshops on 9 and 18 December 2024. The workshop recordings will be made publicly available on the AquaPLAN website following the second workshop. We can all do our part to reduce light and noise pollution from our homes and outdoor spaces. For simple actions you can take, please visit AquaPLAN’s Tips. Access the AquaPLAN Visualisation Portal. 

Edit-a-thon dedicated to light and noise pollution

On 16 November 2024, an edit-a-thon dedicated to light and noise pollution was held in the Botanical Garden and Museum in Pisa, Italy. Coming from the contraction of the terms “editing” and “marathon”, an edit-a-thon is a content creation marathon to learn how to write and expand entries on Wikipedia. The first of two events, it started with an introduction to light pollution and its environmental consequences, followed by a practical session of content writing. A second edit-a-thon on the same topic occurred also on 10 December at the Department of Earth Sciences in Pisa. Learn more. 

AquaPLAN Annual Meeting 2025

The AquaPLAN Annual Meeting will take place online on 27-28 January 2025. The meeting will include a series of presentations from AquaPLAN researchers to provide progress updates from each of the six work packages, followed by interactive discussions and planning activities for the year to come. The EC project officer and financial officers, along with the partners from PLAN-B have also been invited. Prof. Elena Maggi, the Principal Investigator of AquaPLAN was kindly invited to attend the PLAN-B Annual Meeting in February 2025. More details to follow, learn more. 

Balance of Light and Darkness Workshop

AquaPLAN coordinator Elena Maggi (University of Pisa (UNIPI)), was an invited speaker at the workshop ‘Equilibri di Luce e Buio’ or ‘Balance of Light and Darkness: Towards shared knowledge and participatory management of light pollution’ held on 4 December 2024 in Parma, Italy. The afternoon workshop was organised and moderated by the Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Enterprises of the University of Parma. Learn more. 

We are planning other dissemination and communication activities, so please join us!

• Visit the AquaPLAN website www.aquaplan-project.eu to learn more about the project’s objectives, ongoing work, news, results and related links. Follow us on LinkedIn and X. 
• AquaPLAN and PLAN-B are organising a joint session on the effect of light and noise pollution on biodiversity, at Forum Acusticum Euronoise 2025, the 11th European Acoustics Association (EAA) Annual European Conference on Acoustics and Noise Control Engineering (23-26 June 2025 in Málaga, Spain).
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