Literature on artificial light at night and the Wadden Sea World Heritage in review
In 2018, the Ministers of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands responsible for the Wadden Sea recognized the importance of nocturnal darkness for the ecosystem and the humankind as well as the potential effects of light pollution on the conservation of the Wadden Sea World Heritage. To better understand the relationship between light emissions and the Outstanding Universal Value of our World Heritage, the Programme Towards a Rich Wadden Sea (PRW) within the Trilateral Dark Sky Initiative and in collaboration with the Common Wadden Sea Secretariat and the Partnership Hub Admin Unit, commissioned a scientific literature review of the known effect of artificial light at night on organisms and ecosystems in the Wadden Sea or similar habitats. The document collects the most important existing literature, highlights existing knowledge gaps and provides brief recommendations to mitigate these effects.