Artis Zoo In Amsterdam Sets Global Standard By Protecting The Urban Night Sky

Published on October 20, 2025

AMSTERDAM’S ARTIS ROYAL ZOO was precocious awarded Europe’s first Urban Night Sky Place certification by Dark Sky International. This certification acknowledges ARTIS’S continuous attempts to respect nan stillness of nan nighttime and sphere nan acheronian that is often overlooked successful incontinent levels by humans and animals.

ARTIS is an land of bid successful nan bosom of nan Dam. As nan remainder of nan metropolis is illuminated by a multitude of lights, ARTIS appears from supra nan glowing metropolis of Amsterdam arsenic an oasis of darkness, a haven, offering an oasis of stillness to nan animals successful nan metropolis and nan municipality wildlife limited connected earthy darkness.

A World First: Darkness successful nan Heart of a City

For Amsterdam, nan Urban Night Sky Place certification signifies a singular accomplishment. It awards ARTIS not conscionable a zoological attraction, but a world leader successful sustainable municipality ecology. ARTIS has, to most, created Amsterdam’s “No Light District” zone, each while nan metropolis is renowned for its nightlife and illuminated canals.

By nan thoughtful simplification of metropolis lights and nan intentional clasp of darkness, nan zoo’s artificial lighting now shadows nan earthy night. This, of course, benefits nan animals successful its attraction arsenic good arsenic nan surrounding metropolis ecosystem. The certification besides positions ARTIS, and particularly for nan superior city, nan only municipality area, to beryllium a portion of nan expanding world organization of dark-sky protected zones.

The Value of Darkness: Why It Matters

AS of today, nan Netherlands has among nan astir light-polluted areas successful nan world. The World Health Organization has declared ray contamination a world wellness crisis. Artificial municipality lighting is reported to emergence each twelvemonth by a shocking nationalist mean of 10%, and studies show that it is negatively impacting municipality wildlife and nan earthy behaviors of each species, including humans.ARTIS’s acknowledgement underscores nan value of acheronian erstwhile it comes to striking a equilibrium pinch nan environment. By minimizing artificial lights, nan zoo allows its animals, arsenic good arsenic nan wildlife that stock nan zoo’s grounds, to bask their earthy circadian rhythms. This serves arsenic a reminder that darkness, contrary to celebrated belief, is simply a earthy and basal constituent of a safe environment.

Savitri Groag, nan zoo’s Sustainability Coordinator, pointed retired that nan ngo to trim ray contamination is portion of ARTIS’s imagination of caring for each life, quality and animal. She pointed retired that darkness, for illustration light, tin besides beryllium celebrated and protected, moreover successful a highly populated municipality environment.

World Over Inspiration

“ARTIS is mounting an bonzer example,” said Dan Oakley of DarkSky International. He explained that nan certification was meaningful arsenic it shows what municipality institutions tin do to safeguard their nighttime environment. This inaugural of ARTIS is simply a bully illustration of nan municipality wildlife-friendly practices galore group dream to see. He hopes galore different zoos astir nan world will travel ARTIS’s example.

Such nickname allows ARTIS to beryllium viewed arsenic a world leader successful nan sustainable guidance of municipality centers. The perfect of municipality conservation, innovation, and coexistence is achievable and does not person to beryllium sacrificed successful nan look of nan astir accessible municipality centers. Zoos successful municipality centers nary longer person to supply a substandard acquisition for visitors.

Night Experiences for Guests

For nan winter, ARTIS will beryllium celebrating nan certification and consciousness of ray contamination by offering wintertime typical evening programs. During nan evening hours, nan zoo will big a constricted number of guests during nan nighttime to admit nan zoo successful earthy darkness. The guests will spell connected guided nighttime walks and different sensory activities, arsenic good arsenic stargazing activities astatine nan zoo’s Planetarium.

These evening wintertime programs will assistance pinch their outreach and nationalist acquisition campaigns. The guests will admit nan nighttime arsenic a earthy gift and study astir nan effects of artificial ray connected nan nighttime entity and their health, arsenic good arsenic nan oppressive power exerted by artificial light. Unplugging astatine nighttime will let them to admit nan wonderment of nan nighttime sky. These expected programs will beryllium a signature ARTIS summation for nationalist consciousness connected conservation.

A Haven for Wildlife successful Amsterdam’s Urban Landscape

In summation to being recognized for reducing ray pollution, ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo is an important portion of greenish abstraction successful nan municipality scenery of Amsterdam. As a zoo, ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo cares for a organization of complete 500 animals arsenic good arsenic a ample postulation of plants and a divers postulation of plants and fauna, which is designed to guarantee a well-balanced, earthy situation successful which nan animals tin grounds their earthy behaviors.

By reducing artificial light, ARTIS not only assists successful nan well-being of its resident animals but besides attracts municipality wildlife, including bats, insects, and night-feeding birds. Such wildlife depends connected earthy acheronian to navigate, feed, and reproduce. ARTIS’s ray reclamation efforts service to equilibrium these populations, solidifying its position arsenic a zoo and functioning municipality ecosystem.

The Netherlands and Light Pollution

The Netherlands is illustrated arsenic 1 of nan astir light-polluted countries successful nan world. With ARTIS’ ray contamination reclamation landmark status, nan zoo is mounting an illustration for different institutions and cities successful nan Netherlands connected reducing their biology impact. This nickname tin service arsenic information for municipality planners and policymakers to alteration nan sermon for nationalist lighting.

There are expanding affirmative developments regarding sustainable, greener infrastructures successful nan Netherlands. ARTIS went nan other mile erstwhile taking nan mini steps basal to reconstruct earthy darkness. Some of these mini steps see nan ‘cycling’ of lighting and ‘motion’ activated lighting.

Conclusion: A Future Made Brighter Because of Darkness

The Consecration of nan ARTIS Royal Zoo arsenic an Urban Sky Place is simply a monumental achievement. It illustrates nan value of acheronian successful our mundane lives. It shows really metropolis life tin coexist without damaging nan situation and gives dream arsenic cities summation successful population.

To nan countless visitors that Amsterdam hosts each year, ARTIS is simply a ‘natural’ awesome of calm, serenity, and equilibrium successful a metropolis afloat of vibrant energy, and is simply a ‘natural’ spot visitors tin spell to astatine nan extremity of their engaged day. This is ‘natural’ lighting to ‘recharge’ and ‘reset’ and retrieve nan ‘forgotten’ stars of nan nighttime that are mislaid to engaged metropolis life. ARTIS shows that successful nan busiest of cities, location is room for stargazing.