2024 - Light Chains Through Forests

Human activities increasingly encroach upon wildlife’s natural habitats as urban areas expand. In recent years, the construction of highways in many cities has resulted in the fragmentation of large forested areas. Numerous local animal species cannot undertake long migrations, thus subjecting them to the disruptive influence of these thoroughfares. For instance, a recently constructed highway in Guangzhou, China, traversing Tianlu Mountain Park, poses a significant threat to more than a dozen species of fireflies inhabiting the area. These delicate creatures, reliant on their native habitat, suffer from the adverse effects of nocturnal street and vehicle lighting, severely disrupting their natural behaviors and potentially driving them toward extinction.
We are trying to devise a solution in recognition of the imperative to mitigate the nighttime disturbances caused by highway lighting in forested areas. This is to develop a novel device dubbed the ”light chain,” which employs advanced spraying and light reflection technologies. Its primary objective is to substitute conventional street lighting while shielding the forest from the intrusion of car lights.