This PLAN-B report collates and evaluates some of the available evidence for light and noise pollution impacts on terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem services.
The review demonstrates that:
- (i) both light and noise pollution impact terrestrial wildlife;
- (ii) synergistic effects can occur when organisms are exposed to both light and noise pollution in combination rather than individually;
- (iii) species differ in their response to these sensory pollutants based on the ways that they detect and use light and sound;
- (iv) although light and noise pollution impacts have been documented at levels within the range of normal background conditions, there is the potential that screening thresholds can be defined for population level impacts;
- (v) mechanisms of light and noise pollution impacts have been elucidated to varying degrees;
- (vi) laboratory studies can help to further define these mechanisms and help to explain patterns observed in field studies;
- (vii) there is evidence of both direct and indirect effects on ecosystem services.
However, the review also highlights that studies on light and noise pollution across many taxa and geographic locations are limited. Mechanistic understanding of impacts is similarly limited, especially when extending from the individual to the ecosystem scale.
Future work needs to prioritise addressing these limitations, using methods to quantify light and noise exposures in ecologically meaningful terms rather than relying on approaches and quantities that are specifically weighted towards human responses to these sensory pollutants.
You can download the full report here and in our Zenodo community.