Don’t Neglect the Night: Urgent call to protect the other half of nature - Buglife
Every night, while most of us sleep, the world comes alive for millions of animals: moths, glow-worms, bats, badgers, owls, toads, and more. Yet this vibrant nocturnal world is vanishing fast, threatened by our actions and our neglect – light pollution, habitat loss, and our failure to see what is happening in the dark.
That is why Buglife has launched the “Don’t Neglect the Night” campaign, calling on governments, planners, and the public to take urgent action and protect the half of nature that we are ignoring.
Night isn’t just a time of rest, it is half of Earth’s daily life cycle, and provides vital conditions for the two-thirds of all animal species that have evolved to thrive after the sun sets. From moths and other nocturnal pollinators that work the night shift, to bats that flit through our night skies in search of prey, to amphibians that migrate to breeding grounds in moonlit wetlands, countless species rely on the dark to feed, migrate, communicate, and thrive.
But almost all conservation efforts overwhelmingly focus on the daytime. Without night-specific protections and restoration, we shrink the safe spaces where nocturnal life can survive and thrive, and we risk losing species before we even understand them.
The Night is Under Threat
Despite its importance, the nocturnal environment is facing growing threats which destroy, damage and degrade – including the rapid increase of artificial lighting creating light pollution which disrupts wildlife behaviour, migration, and reproduction, threatening species that rely on darkness.
Nocturnal ecosystems are poorly understood, posing a major challenge for conservation. Many ecosystems rely on night time species and processes, like pollination by moths or the behaviours of predators and prey. But because most human activity happens during the day, these vital aspects often go unnoticed. As a result, conservation policies overlook the needs of nocturnal wildlife. Greater awareness is key to protecting all biodiversity more effectively.
Posted On: 04/06/2025
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