We are delighted to invite you to attend an interdisciplinary symposium exploring the impact of light pollution on insect declines, hosted by the Exeter Visual Ecology research group in collaboration with Status of Insects.
Insect populations are undergoing significant declines, and artificial light at night has been identified as a potentially major – but often poorly understood – threat to insect biodiversity and ecosystem function. Our international symposium, the first of its kind, aims to bring together leading researchers, conservationists, policy makers, NGOs, and those working in industry, both locally and globally, to tackle this topic. We will aggregate existing knowledge concerning the direct and indirect consequences of artificial light at night for insect biodiversity and use workshops and horizon scan activities to explore new avenues to reduce the ecological impact of light pollution.
The symposium will be held on the University of Exeter’s Cornwall campus in Penryn, United Kingdom, from the 12th to the 14th of May, 2025. The provisional program includes:
Registration for this event will be free! Additionally, some funding is available to support participation. If you would require assistance with travel and lodging costs, please let us know at the link below.
INDICATE YOUR INTEREST AT THIS LINK: https://forms.gle/Yhn5YY5cyjRBS4Nc7
We look forward to seeing you there!
Organizing committee:
Network of over 30 scientists working across more than 10 countries to understand the effects of artificial light at night on insects. Among other activities, the working group is currently planning a globally distributed experiment on insect flight-to-light behavior, a symposium at SICB, and an in-person workshop at Exeter University.
To get involved, email Avalon Owens at aowens@fas.harvard.edu or Brett Seymoure at bmseymoure@utep.edu.