Taoyuan:Lala Mountain has been recognized as Taiwan's first Urban Night Sky Place by DarkSky International, marking it as the third location in Asia to receive this designation, According to city's Department of Tourism.
According to Focus Taiwan, the designation was confirmed to the department on Saturday by the U.S.-based nonprofit organization, which aims to protect nighttime environments. DarkSky International plans to formally announce this recognition on Wednesday.
An Urban Night Sky Place is defined by DarkSky International as a municipal park or similar property located in or near heavily urbanized areas that offers an authentic stargazing experience despite the presence of significant artificial light. This recognition acknowledges sites that educate the public about responsible outdoor lighting practices that ensure public safety while minimizing negative impacts on the nighttime environment.
Currently, DarkSky International lists 19 such places worldwide, with the other two in Asia being Minami-Rokuroshi in Japan's Fukui Prefecture and Zhangwu Town in China's Zhejiang Province.
The department outlined that applicants must meet stringent criteria for this designation, such as being located within 50 kilometers of a town with a population exceeding 50,000, offering free public access, and ensuring that over two-thirds of the outdoor lighting in the area adheres to dark-sky lighting principles.
Due to the inclusion of Indigenous communities and other residential areas in the designated area at Lala Mountain, the process of improving lighting involved extensive consultation with residents to balance dark-sky preservation with road safety and daily needs. The city conducted community meetings, workshops on lighting improvements, and stargazing guide training courses to garner local support.
Additionally, the Taoyuan government modified or fitted shields to over 400 publicly owned streetlights as part of these efforts. The city aims to integrate ecological conservation with stargazing tourism to promote Lala Mountain as a nighttime travel destination.
