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Reducing Light Pollution in a Tourism-Based Economy, with Recommendations for a National Lighting Ordinance

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Reducing Light Pollution in a Tourism-Based Economy, with Recommendations for a National Lighting Ordinance REDUCING LIGHT POLLUTION IN A TOURISM-BASED ECONOMY, WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A NATIONAL LIGHTING ORDINANCE Prepared by the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST) Kimberley N. Lake and Karen L. Eckert __________________________________________________________ WIDECAST Technical Report No. 11 2009 Cover photos: Tree-mounted double spotlights at the Frangipani Beach Resort, with new hotel construction in the background (photo by Kimberley Lake); Leatherback sea turtle hatchling attracted by beachfront lighting and unable to find the sea (photo by Sebastien Barrioz). For bibliographic purposes, this publication should be cited as follows: Lake, Kimberley N. and Karen L. Eckert. 2009. Reducing Light Pollution in a Tourism-Based Economy, with Recommendations for a National Lighting Ordinance. Prepared by the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST) for the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Government of Anguilla. WIDECAST Technical Report No. 11. Ballwin, Missouri. 65 pp. ISSN: 1930-3025 Copies of the publication may be obtained from: Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST) 1348 Rusticview Drive Ballwin, Missouri 63011 Phone: + (314) 954-8571 Email: [email protected] Online at www.widecast.org REDUCING LIGHT POLLUTION IN A TOURISM-BASED ECONOMY, WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A NATIONAL LIGHTING ORDINANCE Kimberley N. Lake Karen L. Eckert 2009 Lake and Eckert (2009) ~ Reducing Light Pollution in a Tourism-Based Economy ~ WIDECAST Technical Report 11 PREFACE AND INTENT For more than two decades, the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST, www.widecast.org), with Country Coordinators in more than 40 Caribbean nations and territories, has linked scientists, conservationists, natural resource users and managers, policy-makers, industry groups, educators, and other stakeholders together in a collective effort to develop a unified management framework, and to promote a region-wide capacity to design and implement science-based sea turtle conservation programs. As a Partner Organization of the UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme and its Re- gional Programme for Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW), WIDECAST is designed to address research and management priorities at national and regional levels, both for sea turtles and for the habitats upon which they depend. We focus on bringing the best available science to bear on contemporary management and conservation issues, empowering stake- holders to make effective use of that science in the policy-making process, and providing an operational mechanism and a framework for cooperation within and among nations. Network participants are committed to working collaboratively to develop their collective capacity to manage shared sea turtle populations. By bringing people together and encouraging inclusive management planning, WIDECAST is helping to ensure that utilization practices, whether consumptive or non-consumptive, do not undermine sea turtle survival in the long term. However, the recovery of remnant populations of Caribbean sea turtles will require more than a precautionary approach to sustainable use, it will also require thoughtful attention to both acute and chronic threats to important nesting and foraging habitats. Anguilla is a small Eastern Caribbean island and, like so many other Caribbean islands, it plays host to seasonal nesting populations of endangered hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtles. While there is currently a moratorium on sea turtle capture, possession and sale, the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources is concerned about the short- and long-term degradation and loss of nesting habitat to development-driven forces. Most of these factors relate to tourism pressures and include coastal construction, artificial beachfront lighting, and illegal beach sand mining. Artificial lighting near nesting beaches is well known to deter or disrupt the nesting sequence, and to inhibit sea-finding in post-nesting females and newborn hatchlings. Based on stakeholder consultations and comprehensive lighting assessments conducted at selected tourism properties, this report provides recommendations for mitigating the negative effects of beachfront lighting on sea turtles, articulates principles for a broader policy-based solution, and develops the essential components of a national Lighting Ordinance, emphasizing safety, economy, enforceability, and flexibility in view of the wide variety of properties and light- ing objectives along the coastline. It is our hope that participating resorts will take the recom- mendations to heart, that other hotels in Anguilla will take similar action to help reduce the impact the tourism industry has had on sea turtles nesting on the island, and that a Lighting Ordinance will soon become incorporated into the island’s regulatory framework, setting a pro- gressive example for other nations to follow. Karen L. Eckert, Ph.D. Executive Director WIDECAST 1 Lake and Eckert (2009) ~ Reducing Light Pollution in a Tourism-Based Economy ~ WIDECAST Technical Report 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The senior author thanks Cuisinart Resort and Spa, Frangipani Beach Resort, and Covecastles in Anguilla, British West Indies, for kindly providing access to their properties and to their professional staff. I would especially like to thank the Managers at these properties, each of whom was crucial to my understanding of the lights that serve so many essential purposes at these beautiful and unique destinations. Special thanks are extended to James Gumbs (Director of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources and WIDECAST Country Coordinator in Anguilla) and to Farah Mukhida (Anguilla National Trust), who personally escorted me during nighttime lighting assessments. Mr. Gumbs generously arranged, prior to my arrival, partnerships with the properties involved in this assessment, and he guided and encouraged my efforts throughout my stay in Anguilla (June-August 2007). I am grateful to the Fisheries Officers who made my time on the island so very enjoyable, allowed me to tag along on their many expeditions, and drove me about Anguilla in a 4-wheel drive vehicle. I am quite certain that, without them, I would not have had access to many of the beaches on the island, since my vehicle was less than able to deal with the terrain. I am also grateful to the summer interns who helped me to laugh at myself while I learned so much during my summer on-island. My Advisor, Dr. Karen Eckert, was a wonderful mentor to me while I was enrolled in Duke University’s graduate program. I want to thank her for having faith in my ability to complete this project successfully, and for ensuring my success by guiding me through the entire process. This WIDECAST Technical Report is based on the results of my Master’s Project, completed for a Master of Environmental Management degree at Duke University. My training in lighting as- sessments I owe to John English Knowles (The Nature Conservancy) who, at his own expense, traveled to Florida to teach me the art of conducting formal lighting assessments (my project is based, in part, on a similar assessment he conducted in Barbados for his Master’s Project at Duke University). He remained accessible to me while I prepared for my research and while I was working in Anguilla, and he kindly encouraged my efforts and reviewed results. I sincerely thank my landlord in Anguilla, Mr. Rhon Connor (Department of Environment, Government of Anguilla) and his family, who made my transition into life in Anguilla as seamless as possible, provided excellent accommodations, hand-picked service providers to meet my needs while on the island, and maintained contact to provide support through the completion of my project. I am grateful for his friendship, guidance and kind words. I am also very grateful to Mr. Erik Martin (Ecological Associates, Inc.) for his thorough review of this report and its recom- mendations. Finally, I thank my loving family and friends in my native Trinidad, as well as in the United States, for supporting me with visits and phone calls while I was performing my research. Essential financial support was provided by the Government of Anguilla, the Lazar Society of International Development and the David Brower Fund at Duke University, the Columbus Zoo, and the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST). This research was performed under an appointment to the U.S. Department of Home- land Security (DHS) Scholarship and Fellowship Program, administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and DHS. ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) under DOE contract number DE-AC05-06OR23100. Opinions expressed in this paper are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the policies and views of DHS, DOE, ORAU/ORISE, or Duke University. 2 Lake and Eckert (2009) ~ Reducing Light Pollution in a Tourism-Based Economy ~ WIDECAST Technical Report 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE AND INTENT 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 INTRODUCTION 5 SEA TURTLE MANAGEMENT IN ANGUILLA 7 Overview 7 National Legislation 7 International Agreements 9 THREATS TO SEA TURTLES IN ANGUILLA 10 Artificial Lighting 10 Illegal Sand Mining 11 Poaching 11 LIGHTING ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY 12 COASTAL LIGHTING IN ANGUILLA 14 Large Hotels 14 Featured Property: Cuisinart Resort and Spa 14
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