‘The normal should be darkness’: why one Belgian national park is turning off ‘pointless’ streetlights

The radical project is an attempt to preserve wildlife in one of Europe's most light-polluted countries, but can they persuade local people they will still feel safe?

Two yellowing street lamps cast a pool of light on the dark road winding into the woods outside Mazee village. This scene is typical for narrow countryside roads in Wallonia in the south of Belgium. Having lights here is logical," says Andre Detournay, 77, who has lived in the village for four decades. I walk here with my dog and it makes me feel safe and gives me some protection from theft."

Belgium glows like a Christmas decoration at night, as witnessed from space. It is one of the most light-polluted countries in Europe, with the Milky Way scarcely visible except in the most remote areas.