Night lights versus conservation dreams: balancing human preferences with conservation goals in protected areas for sustainable nature-based noctourism

Nature-based noctourism includes all forms of nature-based tourism at night, for which natural darkness is critical to both the visitor experience and the protection of cultural and natural resources. Yet, artificial light at night is a known landscape scale pollutant that hinders these tourism activities. Even protected areas are not immune to the effects of light pollution, including on-site and nearby community lighting. Efforts to prevent or reduce light pollution at both local and landscape scales are frequently impeded by human priorities, including lighting preferences, comfort, and feelings of safety. Here we examine the night lighting tradeoffs participants are willing to make between human preferences and conservation efforts. Findings show people are willing to accept lighting conditions that benefit the natural night environment and reduce negative impacts to wildlife even if human preferences, enjoyment, and feelings of safety are not met. These results were derived from three different samples including two U.S. National Park Service (NPS) sites and an arboretum. Our findings provide support for planners and decision makers seeking to protect natural night and wildlife. Shifting the focus from human preferences to safeguarding the natural nightscape is a crucial step forward for sustainable nature-based noctourism.