Can satellite-based night lights be used for conservation? The case of nesting sea turtles in the Mediterranean Tessa Mazor a,b,⇑ , Noam Levin c , Hugh P. Possingham a , Yaniv Levy d , Duccio Rocchini e , Anthony J. Richardson f , Salit Kark a,b a ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia b The Biodiversity Research Group, Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, The Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel c Department of Geography, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel d Israel’s Sea Turtle Rescue Centre, Nature & Parks Authority. Mevoot Yam, P.O.B. 1174, Mikhmoret 40297, Israel e Edmund Mach Foundation, Research and Innovation Centre, Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, GIS and Remote Sensing Unit, Via Mach 1, 38010, San Michele all’Adige (TN), Italy f School of Mathematics and Physics, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia article info Article history: Received 3 June 2012 Received in revised form 22 October 2012 Accepted 4 November 2012 Keywords: Artificial night lights Caretta caretta Chelonia mydas Coastal conservation Satellite imagery Sea turtle conservation abstract Artificial night lights pose a major threat to multiple species. However, this threat is often disregarded in conservation management and action because it is difficult to quantify its effect. Increasing availability of high spatial-resolution satellite images may enable us to better incorporate this threat into future work, particularly in highly modified ecosystems such as the coastal zone. In this study we examine the poten- tial of satellite night light imagery to predict the distribution of the endangered loggerhead (Caretta caret- ta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtle nests in the eastern Mediterranean coastline. Using remote sensing tools and high resolution data derived from the SAC-C satellite and the International Space Sta- tion, we examined the relationship between the long term spatial patterns of sea turtle nests and the intensity of night lights along Israel’s entire Mediterranean coastline. We found that sea turtles nests are negatively related to night light intensity and are concentrated in darker sections along the coast. Our resulting GLMs showed that night lights were a significant factor for explaining the distribution of sea turtle nests. Other significant variables included: cliff presence, human population density and infra- structure. This study is one of the first to show that night lights estimated with satellite-based imagery can be used to help explain sea turtle nesting activity at a detailed resolution over large areas. This approach can facilitate the management of species affected by night lights, and will be particularly useful in areas that are inaccessible or where broad-scale prioritization of conservation action is required. Crown Copyright Ó 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Coastal zones are experiencing rapid population growth around the world (Turner et al., 1996) and attract increasing levels of tour- ism, trade and development (Shi and Singh, 2003; Stancheva, 2010). These anthropogenic pressures threaten biodiversity in the coastal environment, affecting the dynamics of flora and fauna populations and ecosystem processes (Chapin et al., 2000; Crain et al., 2009). While the effects of some human-caused threats have been examined in detail, our understanding of the consequences of artificial night lights on biodiversity in coastal areas, which have rapidly increased in both spatial extent and intensity in recent dec- ades, remains limited (Longcore and Rich, 2004). Researchers have studied the effect of night lights on species for many years (Longcore and Rich, 2004). Previous studies exploring the impact of artificial lights on organisms were mainly conducted by ecologists studying species of birds (e.g. Longcore, 2010), sea turtles (e.g. Lorne and Salmon, 2007), bats (e.g. Jung and Kalko, 2010) and freshwater fish (e.g. McConnell et al., 2010). Results from these studies demonstrate that night lights can attract, repel, and disorientate organisms in their natural settings. These reac- tions can further alter behavioral patterns such as reproduction, foraging, migration, communication and predator–prey relation- ships (Longcore and Rich, 2004). Such studies provide evidence that artificial lights often have adverse effects on organisms (Sal- mon 2003; Bird et al., 2004; Longcore and Rich, 2004; Bourgeois et al., 2009; Kempenaers et al., 2010; Longcore, 2010). 0006-3207/$ - see front matter Crown Copyright Ó 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012.11.004 ⇑ Corresponding author at: ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia. Tel.: +61 972 2 6585714. E-mail addresses: tessa.mazor@uqconnect.edu.au (T. Mazor), noamlevin@msc- c.huji.ac.il (N. Levin), h.possingham@uq.edu.au (H.P. Possingham), yaniv@npa.org.il (Y. Levy), ducciorocchini@gmail.com (D. Rocchini), Anthony.Richardson@csiro.au (A.J. Richardson), salit.kark@gmail.com (S. Kark). Biological Conservation 159 (2013) 63–72 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Biological Conservation journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/biocon