INTERNATIONAL DARK SKY RESERVES 

~ a public or private land possessing an exceptional or distinguished quality of starry nights and nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its scientific, natural, educational, cultural, heritage and/or public enjoyment mission of a large peripheral area. The International Dark Sky Reserve consists of a core area meeting the minimum criteria for sky quality and natural darkness, and a peripheral area that supports dark sky values in the core and receives benefits from them as well. The International Dark Sky Reserve is formed through a partnership of multiple land owners and/or administrators that have recognized the value of the starry night through regulation and/or formal agreement and/or long term planning.

The IDSReserve program is the epitome of IDA's mission. Working to preserve a central core that is valuable because of its natural night, communities band together to create public awareness campaigns and conduct retrofits to restore the night sky. Each reserve shown below has gone above and beyond the requirements as stated in our International Dark Sky Reserve Guidelines.

 

 

Three tiers designate the quality of night skies the reserve is recognized for. Gold represents the highest award representing the darkest skies, followed by the Silver and Bronze designations. Requirements for each of the designations are shown in the table below. 

 

	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Artificial Light and Skyglow	Typical observer is not distracted by glary light sources. Light domes are only dim and restricted to sky close to horizon.	Point light sources and glary lights do not dominate nighttime scene. Light domes present around horizon but do not stretch to zenith.	Areas with greater artificial light and skyglow than Silver, but where aspects of the natural sky are still visible.
Visual Limiting Magnitude	Equal or greater than 6.8 under clear skies and good seeing conditions	6.0 to 6.7 under clear skies and good conditions	5.0-5.9 under clear skies and good seeing conditions
Bortle Sky Class	1-3	3-5	5-6
Observable Sky Phenomena	The full array of visible sky phenomena can be viewed—e.g. aurora, airglow, Milky Way, zodiacal light, and faint meteors	Brighter sky phenomena can be regularly viewed, with fainter ones sometimes visible. Milky Way is visible in summer and winter.	Many sky phenomena cannot be seen. Milky Way is faintly seen when pointed out, as is Andromeda Galaxy.
Unihedron Sky Quality Meter	21.75 or above	21.00 or above	20.00 or above

 

 

 

The International Dark-Sky Association continues to accept applications from reserves wishing to join in the ranks of the highest prestige for nighttime visages.

If you are interested in applying please see the bottom of this page for more information. After reviewing this page and the International Dark Sky Reserve guidelines please email program manager, Amee Hennig at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  to alert IDA of your intent to apply.

The complete application criteria is available for download in .pdf. To view the criteria, clickhere>>

Learn more about applying!

 

Certified International Dark Sky Reserves

Name	Location	Year Established	Tier
Mont Mégantic	Quebec, Canada	2008	Silver
Exmoor National Park	Devon and Somerset Counties, England, United Kingdom	2011	Silver
Aoraki Mackenzie	New Zealand	2012	Gold
NamibRand Nature Reserve	Namibia	2012	Gold
Brecon Beacons National Park	Wales, UK	2013	Silver

 

Brecon Beacons National Park

All pictures copyright of Michael Sinclair.
http://www.michael-sinclair.com 

 

Brecon Beacons National Park

Wales, UK

Silver Tier

Established 2013

Review the Application

Review the Light Management Plan

The new Brecon Beacons IDSR is composed of 1,347 km² (520 mi²) where sheep outnumber people 30 to 1. A secluded utopia for stargazing and appreciating the natural nighttime environment, the IDSR still hosts 33,000 residents and is within easy access of over a million people. The Brecon Beacons Dark Skies project has received support from the Prince of Wales.  Read more in the Press Release.

 

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Aoraki Mackenzie Reserve

 The Church of the Good Shepherd. Photo by Fraser Gunn

Aoraki Mackenzie Reserve

New Zealand

Gold Tier

Established 2012

Review the application

Map of Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve

Aoraki Mackenzie Dark Sky Reserve backgrounder

Over 1,600 square miles of New Zealand’s South Island have just been proclaimed as an International Dark Sky Reserve, making it the largest in the world. The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve (IDSR), comprised of the Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park and the Mackenzie Basin, is the fourth such dark sky reserve in the world.   Read IDA press release >>

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NamibRand Nature Reserve

 

NamibRand Nature Reserve

Namibia, Africa

Gold Tier

Established 2012

Review the application

Namibia’s NamibRand Nature Reserve, one of Africa’s largest private nature reserves, has expanded its conservation role to include preserving the star-filled nighttime skies that shine above its dunes and mountains. These efforts in night sky conservation have earned the reserve high honors.    Read IDA press release >>

 

Exmoor National Park

 

 

Exmoor National Park

Devon and Somerset Counties, England, United Kingdom

Silver Tier

Established 2011

Review the application

Located on the southwest coast of England in Somerset and Devon Counties, Exmoor enjoys the darkest skies in the nation yet offers relatively easy access from urban hubs.  Read IDA press release

 

 

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Mont-Mégantic International Dark Sky Reserve

 

 

The Reserve at Mont - Mégantic

Quebec, Canada

Silver Tier

Established 2008

Review the application,  click here>>

 

 

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Applying for International Dark Sky Reserve Status

A reserve considering applying must first have these objectives:

1. To identify and honor public or private land and their surrounding communities with exceptional commitment to, and success in implementing, the ideals of dark sky preservation and/or restoration inside and surrounding the core;
2. To encourage land administrators, surrounding communities and private interest to identify dark skies as a valuable resource in need of proactive protection;
3. To preserve and/or restore outstanding night skies;
4. To promote the protection of areas with an exceptional starry. Ideal for professional and/or amateur astronomy, nocturnal habitats, culture, heritage and/or public enjoyment of the night sky;
5. To provide international recognition for such sites;
6. To encourage other habited or uninhabited areas formed of public and/or private entities to become environmental leaders on dark sky issues by communicating the importance of dark skies and by providing an example of the possibilities of dark sky friendly lighting.

To be eligible to apply the reserve must ensure that

1. The core of the IDSR must be a public or a private land protected for scientific, natural, educational, cultural, heritage and/or public enjoyment mission AND;
2. The core of the IDSR is encouraged to provide the opportunity for public nighttime access.  A section of designated land (preferably within or near the core) may meet this requirement for a portion of time AND;
3. The core of the IDSR must have identified the sources of light pollution through calculations, maps, photographs or any other proper method AND clearly identify actual and future threats to the sky quality.  They must then define appropriate areas of protection outside the core AND;
4. The peripheral area must be a minimum of 700 km² (435 miles squared) around the core (roughly equivalent to a 15 km/9.5 mile radius) OR an area sufficient to mitigate 80% of current and expected future light pollution threats AND;
5. Core of the IDSR must have an outstanding dark sky resource relative to the population it serves and have local, regional and/or national significant dark sky resources. Core night sky quality must fit in one of the three tier qualifications Gold, Silver, or Bronze.

 

To learn more about applying or if you intend to apply please email program manager, Amee Hennig at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Applying for IDSR status is an interactive process that requires the park’s communication with IDA throughout the application. 

Download information on becoming an IDSReserve.