“Save a Marine Bird” is the campaign of the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA) that begins today with the aim of alerting the Madeiran population to the consequences of light pollution, which leads to the dazzle and fall of these animals.
In a note released in the region, SPEA says that the initiative lasts for one month, being an annual campaign that runs between the months of October and November, because this is the period when juvenile shearwaters are most attracted to artificial lighting, being subject to the imminent dangers.
“This period coincides with a higher exit rate for juveniles, who, due to their inexperience, are more sensitive and attracted by lighting”, points out the coordinator of SPEA in Madeira, Cátia Gouveia, mentioned in the note.
SPEA alerted the municipalities of Madeira, making a request for a decrease in public lighting, especially in the critical week, between 26 and 30 October, as a preventive measure.
The number of victims of light pollution is around 200 birds annually.
Since 2009, the region has been a pioneer in reducing this threat to seabirds, having this year the project of placing photometers in the municipality of Santa Cruz, contiguous to the east of Funchal, which allows the daily measurement of light pollution levels.