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Light pollution hampers recolonization of revitalised European Nightjar habitats in the Valais (Swiss Alps)

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Abstract

Increasing light emissions caused by human activities have been recognized as a major threat for nocturnal animals. In Switzerland, the European Nightjar is a rare bird, decreasing in numbers since the 1970s, and is therefore highly threatened. The last breeding population occurs in the canton Valais. Initial expert-based conservation measures on formerly inhabited breeding sites were successful until 2000, however recent additional measures have failed. Nightjars are highly sensitive to light due to their special retina adapted to living in semi-darkness. We hypothesized that food availability, mainly moths, is not a critical limiting factor, but that artificial light emissions prevent successful foraging as well as recolonizing revitalised breeding habitats of the nightjar. To test this hypothesis, we used light trapping data of moths from the last 30 years to evaluate food availability and compared light emission on abandoned versus still-occupied breeding sites. Abundance of larger moths did not change significantly over the last 30 years, and smaller moths even increased in abandoned as well as in still-occupied nightjar habitats. However, light emission was two to five times higher in abandoned compared to still-occupied sites. These results suggest that increasing light emission during recent decades has exceeded tolerable levels for this highly specialized night bird. Authorities of the canton Valais should therefore order a reduction in light emission near nightjar habitats by replacing bulbs currently in use with customized LED or broad-spectrum lamps low in white and blue light, and assign remaining nightjar habitats as areas of complete nocturnal darkness, thereby also protecting other threatened nocturnal animals, including moths.

Zusammenfassung

Lichtverschmutzung erschwert die Wiederbesiedlung renaturierter Habitate des Ziegenmelkers im Wallis (Schweizer Alpen)

Die vom Menschen verursachte, zunehmende Lichtverschmutzung ist ein bekannter Gefährdungsfaktor für nachtaktive Tiere. In der Schweiz ist der seltene Ziegenmelker seit den 1970-iger Jahren in stetigem Rückgang begriffen und stark gefährdet. Die letzte sich fortpflanzende Population befindet sich im Kanton Wallis. Erste von Experten begründete Schutzmaßnahmen in früher besiedelten Brutgebieten waren bis ins Jahr 2000 erfolgreich. Allerdings blieben neuere zusätzliche Maßnahmen wirkungslos. Nachtschwalben sind gegenüber Licht außerordentlich empfindlich, weil ihre spezielle Retina an ein Leben in Dunkelheit adaptiert ist. Wir vermuteten, dass nicht das Angebot an Nahrung, vor allem Nachtfalter, für den Ziegenmelker ein limitierender Faktor ist, sondern dass künstliches Licht erfolgreiches Jagen und eine Wiederbesiedlung von renaturierten Brutplätzen verhindert. Um diese Hypothese zu testen, werteten wir Daten von während der letzten 30 Jahre mit Lichtfallen gefangenen Nachtfaltern aus und verglichen Lichtemissionen in verlassenen und noch immer besiedelten Brutgebieten. Die Häufigkeit größerer Nachtfalter änderte sich über die vergangenen 30 Jahre nicht signifikant. Kleinere Nachtfalter nahmen sogar in verlassenen wie auch in noch immer besiedelten Gebieten zu. Im Gegensatz dazu war die Lichtemission in verlassenen Gebieten zwei-bis fünfmal höher als in besiedelten. Diese Befunde legen nahe, dass die zunehmende Lichtemission während der letzten Jahrzehnte die Toleranzschwelle dieser hochspezialisierten nachtaktiven Vogelart überschritten hat. Die Behörden des Kanton Wallis sollten deshalb eine Reduktion der Lichtemission in der Nähe von Ziegenmelkerhabitaten anordnen und gegenwärtig benutzte Leuchtbirnen mit maßgefertigten LED oder Breitspektrumlampen mit einem tiefen Weiß-und Blaulichtanteil ersetzen. Zudem sollten sie in den noch vorhandenen Lebensräumen des Ziegenmelkers totale Dunkelheit anordnen. Damit würden auch andere gefährdete nachtaktive Tiere einschließlich der Nachtfalter geschützt.

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Acknowledgements

We are deeply indebted to J.-C. Loubier and F. Cahenzli for their statistical advice, to N. von Roten for making his data available, to Pierre-Maurice Barras from Sierre-Energie SA for current lighting information and to L. Salamin for improving AS’s English. We also thank an anonymous reviewer for his valuable comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript, and the Ignace Mariétan Foundation for financial support of this project.

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Sierro, A., Erhardt, A. Light pollution hampers recolonization of revitalised European Nightjar habitats in the Valais (Swiss Alps). J Ornithol 160, 749–761 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-019-01659-6

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