Restoring the Night: Registration open for DARKER SKY's Final Conference
DARKER SKY will present its key findings and achievements at the project's concluding "DARKER SKY Final Conference - Ecological Restoration of the Night" on 25 August 2026 in Brest, France. The hybrid event with in-person and online participation will be part of the 15th European Conference on Ecological Restoration (SERE 2026).
Over the past three years, the Interreg North Sea project DARKER SKY has brought together partners from across Europe to better understand and reduce the impacts of artificial light at night (ALAN). By working with researchers, municipalities, ports and environmental organisations, the project has developed innovative approaches to restoring the night environment, supporting biodiversity, and promoting more sustainable lighting practices.
These efforts also contribute to the broader ambitions of the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat and the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation to safeguard the ecological integrity of the Wadden Sea. As artificial light at night becomes an increasingly recognised pressure on coastal ecosystems, the knowledge, tools, and recommendations developed through DARKER SKY help strengthen transnational efforts to protect nocturnal biodiversity and restore natural darkness as an essential component of healthy ecosystems.
During the final conference, project partners will present the key outcomes of DARKER SKY, including new insights into ecological night restoration, biodiversity impacts of artificial light, methods for measuring and monitoring light pollution, stakeholder co-design processes, and the innovative Night Restoration Wheel. The event will also explore how these results can support future ecological restoration and environmental planning across Europe.
Held within SERE 2026, Europe’s leading conference on ecological restoration, the event provides an excellent opportunity to connect with researchers, practitioners, policymakers and everyone interested in restoring ecosystems - including one of our most overlooked natural resources: the night.