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| President of the Starlight Foundation Mr. Luis Martínez Sáez Credit: Astronomy Club Toutatis |
I visited Mr. Luis Martínez Sáez Director of the Starlight Foundation at his office at the Institute of Astrophysics of Canary Islands (Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, IAC) in San Cristóbal de La Laguna. As he invited me in his office, we started the interview and I asked him what is this Starlight foundation all about?
Laughing, he asked me what is this Astronomy Club Toutatis all about? I replied with an honest and simple answer that it is our astronomy club in Finland and we are curious about all that is related to space and astronomy. He liked my answer and we continued the interview.
Here is what Mr. Luis Martínez Sáez Director of Starlight Foundation told me.
What is the
Starlight Foundation?
The
Starlight Foundation is the body in charge of the operational management of the
Starlight Initiative, providing human resources and means for its development
and promotion.
The
Starlight Initiative was launched in 2007 from a proposal of the IAC supported
by UNESCO - MaB Programme, UNWTO, IAU, and other international conventions such
as UNEP-CMS, SCBD, and Ramsar Convention, and is designed as an international
action in defense of the values associated with the night sky and the general
right to observe the stars.
The final
aim of this Initiative is to promote the importance of clear skies for the
humankind, emphasizing and introducing the value of this endangered heritage
for science, education, culture, technological development, nature conservation,
and tourism.
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| Silhouette of Teide Observatory, Tenerife, Canary Islands Credit: Astronomy Club Toutatis |
What does
the Starlight initiative do?
The initiative is designed as an
international action in defence of the values associated with the night sky and
the general right to observe the stars. It is open to the participation of all
scientific, cultural, environmental, citizens, organizations or associations,
as well as public institutions and other public and private bodies willing to
effectively cooperate in the conservation of clear skies and the dissemination
of the knowledge related with their observation. The final aim of the
initiative is to strengthen the importance of clear skies for humankind,
emphasizing and introducing the value of this endangered heritage for science,
education, culture, technological development, nature conservation, tourism.
Read more on the initiative HERE
The objectives of the Starlight initiative
are?
·
Promote the World Declaration
on the Right to the Starlight as a common heritage of mankind.
·
Promote international action in
defence of the quality of the night sky and the observation of the stars,
reinforcing the right to their enjoyment and use as a scientific, cultural and
environmental resource and a vector of technological development to the benefit
of mankind.
·
Help to spread the culture of
valuing starlight, guaranteeing access to it for present and future generations.
Read more on the objectives HERE
What are Starlight Tourist Destinations?
Starlight Tourist
Destinations are places you can visit that have excellent dark skies for stargazing.
The
Starlight Tourism Certification System was created with the aim of encouraging,
at world-wide level, the improvement of the quality of tourist experiences and
the protection of the night skies in Starlight Destinations. The Starlight
Certification seeks to guarantee the capacity to enjoy the view of the stars
and to discover the associated scientific, cultural, natural and scenic values.
The
Starlight Certification makes it possible for the first time to bring science
and tourism together, it aims to ensure the quality of tourism experiences
involving the nightscapes, the view of stars and the cosmos and the related
scientific, cultural and environmental knowledge.
Read more on the Starlight Tourist Destinations HERE
Where are these Starlight Tourist
Destinations and how to apply for a Starlight Dark sky site certificate?
In December 2011, Alqueva,
Portugal is the first site in the world to receive the 'Starlight Tourist
Destination' certificate. This certification, awarded by the Starlight
Foundation, recognizes the quality of the night sky in Alqueva and tourist
activities related to the starry sky.
Starlight Certification
can be requested by all institutions, entities and associations, public or
private, with competence for managing a Starlight Destination or who are
responsible for related tourist and/or scientific activities that are organised
within the destination.
Read more on Alqueva,
Portugal HERE
Read more on Starlight
certification HERE
Mr. Luis Martínez Sáez
is confident that this initiative will go on further into the future and that
the people involved with tourism and astronomy will see that this certification
of their dark sky sites will improve their region both in tourism and
conservation of dark skies for stargazing and scientific purposes.
He urges associations/organisations
such as UNESCO and the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to see the
benefits of conserving dark skies sites. He wishes that conserving dark skies
would be as important as conserving the places on Earth that are already on the
lists of these associations and organisations. He would like to start with the
Canary Islands as World Heritage Sites (UNESCO) where the initiative is already
in progress with national laws protecting the night skies in Tenerife and La
Palma. We tend to forget that starry skies are our heritage and responsibility
and we should not take this lightly or deny ourselves the privilege of the
Universe and its wonders.
READ NEXT POST HERE on our trip through Canarian Astronomy on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands.
Starlight Foundation website
WIKI: San Cristóbal de La Laguna
Alqueva, Portugal first Starlight certified dark sky site
IAU International Astronomy Union
UNESCO
About Astronomy Club Toutatis
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