Star-gazing from Mt John Observatory, at Tekapo. Photo
supplied.
New Zealand is on track to create one of the world's
first world heritage starlight reserves above the Mackenzie
Basin, but still faces "a long road" before having it approved
by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation (Unesco).
The proposal was considered at a meeting by Unesco's world
heritage committee in Brasilia this week.
Former New Zealand cabinet minister Margaret Austin said
Unesco gave support for monuments and sites, landscapes and
cultural landscapes associated with astronomy to be
recognised as part of human heritage.
The New Zealand delegation helped persuade the committee to
approve a thematic study which argued stars and planets were
part of natural heritage and the sky was a cultural resource
common to natural heritage.
Mrs Austin said from Brasilia there was still a long road
towards protecting the world's starry nights with dark-sky
reserves, but this week's decision achieved the first step.
"Now, New Zealand must prepare a detailed document, providing
the evidence of outstanding universal value, its integrity
and authenticity for the site, [and] obtain the approval of
all the parties concerned and adoption by the New Zealand
Government, in order to eventually present the case for the
Lake Tekapo Aoraki/Mt Cook initiative as a window to the
universe."
The New Zealand project proposes the landscape and the skies
above Lake Tekapo and Mt Cook in the Mackenzie district
become a starlight reserve.
Few places remained in the world where the sky was
pollution-free, Mrs Austin said.
"Fifty percent of the world's people no longer see the stars;
those places that do, have a responsibility to preserve [such
views]."
- david.bruce@odt.co.nz
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