Paddison, Brendan and Hall, Jenny ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5200-4308 (2026) Dark-sky tourism: engaging stakeholders in climate change conservation through leisure and tourism in national parks. In: Rastegar, Raymond and Seyfi, Siamak, (eds.) A Research Agenda for Just Tourism Futures. Elgar Research Agendas . Elgar Online, pp. 153-167

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Abstract

Light pollution is detrimental to human health, wellbeing, natural ecosystems, wildlife, and the climate. Access to dark spaces is becoming increasingly difficult as excessive artificial light brightens the night sky and disrupts natural darkness. Understanding how we mitigate the impact of light pollution through leisure and tourism engagement is critical for understanding how we can protect our dark skies. Taking an ecological justice approach, which recognizes that social justice and environmental issues are deeply connected, the aim of this chapter is to explore how dark-sky conservation in protected dark skies reserves can be sustained through engaging host communities as active stewards through tourism and leisure-based activities, and the benefits this creates socially, culturally and environmentally. Through filmmaking and film ethnography, conducted during the North York Moors National Park, United Kingdom Dark Skies Festival in February and October 2024, this study demonstrates how stakeholder engagement in dark-sky leisure events and tourism activity can produce sustainable ways to raise awareness of climate change, help mitigate light pollution, and positively contribute to mental health and well-being. The findings and analysis from this research will inform how dark sky conservation in protected zones can be sustained through engaging residents and visitors as active stewards, while offering new understandings of ecological justice in leisure and tourism research through a novel methodology for researching dark sky conservation.

Item Type:	Book Section
Status:	Published
DOI:	10.4337/9781035346172.00021
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GF Human ecology. Anthropogeography G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure
School/Department:	York Business School
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/14359

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