The project, funded by the European Union, aims to find scientific evidence to support effective regulation to protect European biodiversity and ecosystems from the adverse effects of light and noise pollution.
Ibercivis is part of the European consortium of the project, will provide technological solutions for the implementation of citizen science campaigns and will coordinate the communication and dissemination of the activity and results of the project.
Kickoff meeting en Gante
From 18 to 20 January 2024, the launch meeting of the European PLAN-B project took place, an initiative sponsored by the European Research Executive Agency (REA), which will work for the next 4 years on research, analysis and support for European regulation on light and noise pollution throughout the continent, particularly with regard to the impact of this pollution on biodiversity and the different ecosystems present in Europe.
The project consortium met in person for the first time in Ghent (Belgium), where it was hosted by the University of Ghent, the project coordinator. During two and a half days, its general lines of action were presented, focusing on light and noise pollution and their effect on biodiversity, and a dialogue was held to agree on the scientific activities to be carried out during the 4-year duration of the project from January 2024 to December 2027.
The rate of global biodiversity decline is unprecedented and accelerating. Urban sprawl, population growth and industrialisation bring previously unrecognised drivers of biodiversity loss, such as light and noise pollution. The EU has adopted policies, such as the EU Green Pact and the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, to enable transformative change through better biodiversity protection and nature restoration activities. However, current projections suggest that the EU’s 2030 biodiversity target will not be met and an alternative plan is required. PLAN-B takes an integrated and multidisciplinary approach to better understand and support the reduction of the impact of light and noise pollution on terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem services.
PLAN-B as a tool for influencing environmental policies in Europe
The main outputs of PLAN-B include a framework and supporting manual for assessing the impacts of light and noise pollution to inform environmental decision-making; a freely accessible database on the impacts of light and noise on terrestrial biodiversity; models for assessing the impacts of noise and light on terrestrial biodiversity at the European scale and innovative solutions to prevent and mitigate the impacts of light and noise pollution.
In addition, the project will develop recommendations to improve the legal and policy framework to reduce the impact of light and noise pollution on terrestrial biodiversity, involving citizens through sustainable communities of practice (CoP), formed by interest groups concerned about the impact of this pollution on terrestrial biodiversity.
If you want to know better the PLAN-B Project, please visit our webpage.