Publications by authors named "Clementine Azam"
Among the most prevalent sources of biodiversity declines, Artificial Light At Night (ALAN) is an emerging threat to global biodiversity. Much knowledge has already been gained to reduce impacts. However, the spatial variation of ALAN effects on biodiversity in interaction with landscape composition remains little studied, though it is of the utmost importance to identify lightscapes most in need of action.
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- Artificial light at night poses a significant threat to biodiversity, particularly for mobile species like bats, which may adapt their behavior to avoid lit areas due to perceived predation risks.
- In this study, researchers used 3D acoustic localization to observe how bats adjust their flight paths in relation to the distance from streetlights emitting white and red light, finding that bats significantly increase their flight inside forests as they approach these lights.
- The findings indicate that bats seek refuge in more densely vegetated areas when exposed to light, demonstrating their reliance on landscape features to navigate threats, while emphasizing that maintaining darkness is the best method to protect bat populations.
As light pollution is currently considered to be a major threat to biodiversity, different lighting management options are being explored to mitigate the impact of artificial lighting on wildlife. Although part-night lighting schemes have been adopted by many local authorities across Europe to reduce the carbon footprint and save energy, their effects on biodiversity are unknown. Through a paired, in situ experiment, we compared the activity levels of 8 bat species under unlit, part-night, and full-night lighting treatments in a rural area located 60 km south of Paris, France.
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