ALAN 2025 – Exploring all aspects of artificial light

This week the 9th International Artificial Light at Night Conference (ALAN 2025) is being held from 28-31 October 2025 for the first time in Westport, Mayo, Ireland. Bringing together leading researchers and practitioners to explore the multifaceted impacts of artificial light on ecosystems, human health and urban design. Among the presentations are talks by AquaPLAN researchers whose work is shaping the future of light pollution research and mitigation in European habitats.

On Wednesday 29 October, AquaPLAN coordinator Elena Maggi (University of Pisa), was one of the invited speakers during the morning plenary session. Her talk Coastal light pollution: a multi-stressor perspective set the tone with insights on light pollution as one of the growing suite of threats to coastal ecosystems. With over 22% of the world’s coastlines exposed to light pollution, ALAN penetrates waters to depths of up to 20 metres, disrupting natural light cycles vital to marine life. Elena emphasised that light pollution must be studied alongside other environmental stressors such as climate change, urbanisation and chemical pollution. This multi-stressor approach is essential to understanding how these pressures interact, whether their effects are additive, synergistic or antagonistic. She called for more integrated research and experimental protocols, such as those being developed in AquaPLAN to better assess and mitigate these complex threats.

During the Maritime Matters session also on Wednesday, Tim Smyth (Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML)) introduced the Global Ocean Artificial Light at Night Network (GOALANN), a pioneering initiative aimed at understanding and mitigating the effects of ALAN on marine environments, which also included contributions from Thomas Davies (University of Plymouth). On behalf of Olivia Rendon (PML), Oceane Marcone also contributed to this session with her talk on Perceptions and Knowledge of Coastal Artificial Light at Night, offering a social science perspective on how communities interpret and respond to light pollution in coastal regions. Later in the day, during the Ecology session Tim returned with a presentation titled Seeking Tranquility: Assessing Ecological Risk from Artificial Light and Noise Pollution, highlighting the compounded stressors on coastal ecosystems.

In the Ecology – Freshwater session, Franz Hölker (Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (FVB-IGB)) presented From Science to Action: Towards sustainable lighting near freshwater ecosystems, his work bridges ecological research with actionable policy recommendations. Also within this session was Franz’s colleague, Ashton Dickerson who delivered a presentation on a fascinating study titled Lights, Camera, Action: Unravelling zooplankton diel vertical migration under light at night, exploring how artificial light affects zooplankton diel vertical migration. Later, she also chaired the Local & Community Engagement session, emphasising her commitment to both scientific inquiry and public outreach. Also from FVB-IGB was Andreas Jechow who spoke during the Technology & Design session on Tuesday 28 October with a presentation on the Technical Design of an Insect-Friendly Road Light – from theory to practice, showcasing how engineering can align with ecological goals to reduce ALAN’s harm to nocturnal wildlife. Our Scientific Advisory Board member, Martin Aubé (Cégep de Sherbrooke), was also in attendance.

On Thursday 30 October, Yana Yakushina (Ghent University) from AquaPLAN’s sister project PLAN-B, was one of the invited guest speakers during the morning plenary session. Her talk titled Protecting the Night: Towards Coherent Legal Frameworks for Light Pollution Mitigation, highlighted the growing global concern over light pollution and its wide-ranging impacts. While several countries have begun implementing regulations to address the issue, she emphasised the need for a more harmonised and coherent approach to governance, advocating for better coordination between local, national and international actors.

These talks and contributions to ALAN 2025 demonstrate AquaPLAN’s aim to foster cross-disciplinary dialogue and drive innovation in lighting design, ecological conservation and public engagement. As light pollution continues to rise globally, the work presented at ALAN 2025 offers hope and direction for a more sustainable and star-filled dark sky future!

Mayo is home to Ireland’s first International Dark Sky Park, a designated area recognised for its exceptionally clear starry nights, a nocturnal environment that is protected for scientific, natural, educational, cultural and public enjoyment. These parks are certified by organisations like the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) and must meet strict criteria. The Mayo Dark Sky Park offers some of the darkest and most unspoiled night skies in the world. On a clear night, over 4,500 stars, the Milky Way and meteor showers are visible!

It was announced the ALAN 2027 Conference will be held in Valparaiso, Chile from 28-30 July 2027, save the date!

Learn more about the ALAN 2025 Conference, view the Programme.