Category

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Light for non-human animals

Light for non-human animals

Category
Daylight investigations - Region 2: Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Students
Margareta Ohnsorge
Maria Godawa

School
Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Poznaniu

Country
Poland

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The aim of the project is to protect insects and stop their extinction, which is caused by ubiquitous artificial light pollution. The problem of artificial light pollution is the greatest in large urban centers, where the prepared project is applicable. The survival of insect species will have a positive impact on the operation of many ecosystems and the sustainable development of various animal species, including humans.The rapid development of human society has caused a lot of damage to the natural world. The scientists proved that every year about 20 thousand non-human being species become extinct. Humans as a part of the whole ecosystem should pay attention to all of the beings that live on The Planet Earth, not only humankind. One of the hugest problem now is the extinction of insects. Insects are facing a real apocalypse, that will lead to the extinction of 75% of species magazine „Biological Conservation” alarms. Insects are the basis of the ecosystem. If they go extinct it will collapse. They serve as a feed for birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals. What is more thanks to the pollinators including night pollinators 1/3 world’s food for humans is produced. It is highly important to save them. This project faces the problem of light pollution which is one of the major reasons for insects apocalypse. Most insects represent an attraction toward artificial light. Moths, flies, and many other flying insects have positive phototaxis and are naturally attracted to artificial light. For sure every one of us had at least once seen a horde of insects flying around a street lamp or light bulb at night. If they fall into this trap ones it is impossible for them to escape and they die of exhaustion. Night insects use the moonlight to navigate and they simply think that the street lamp is the moon. The ambition of the project is to decrease the number of dying non-human animals by directing them to safe dark areas in the city and outside it. To achieve it we develop the light corridors for insects, which are invisible to humans. To solve the problem of insects evanishing light corridors have to shine at night. The prepared solution assumes the use of solar panels that will collect energy during the day and then at night it will be given back which will light up the insect corridor. The preparation of the device determined the placement of the photovoltaic panel, which was dependent on the angle of incidence of the sun’s rays so as to acquire as much solar energy as possible. Three different cities were taken into the consideration, which is located in the different latitudes – on the Equator, on The Tropic of Cancer, and in between the tropic and the Arctic Circle, so it is possible to study different sun rays incidence angles to adjust the designed object to the angles and source the most energy. The cities are also examples of where the insects will be directed. The solutions to the problem were prepared in two ways. Firstly, it is necessary to change the current street lightning in the cities. Insects spectrum of vision shows that they can’t see the red light, which is visible to humans. We propose to change the colors of street lamps to red and to limit the other lightning to the minimum level, as it is written down in the guidelines. It will provide safety on the streets and impact well on humans as well. Humans also suffer from the cold light which disturbs the melatonin production in our bodies that causes us to lack sleep. The red lights will bring advantages to both human and non-human beings. Secondly, we designed the small devices, which shine with UV light that is visible for insects, but invisible for humans. We locate them in the city to make light corridors. As it was presented the way the objects work is passive and sustainable. Thanks to the small lights insects will follow the created paths to reach safe and dark green areas and survive. The existence of all species is connected and is only possible in wealth with mutual respect and relation.