Some of the world’s best places to see the stars are far from the crowds – and their associated light pollution. Life is harsh in the world’s desert environments, and this reduces human development and light pollution. One such place is the NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibia.
NamibRand Nature Reserve was established in 1984 by J.A. Brückner, a successful businessman who began acquiring farmland on the Namib-Naukluft National Park. Working with other farm owners, he successfully petitioned that the land be turned into a nature reserve. Today, over 215,000 hectares of Namibian desert and savannah are protected in one of the region’s largest private reserves.
In 2012, NamibRand Nature Reserve was recognized and certified as a Dark Sky Reserve; within the reserve, all tourism and business construction is required to comply with low-pollution lighting to help ensure the skies above NamibRand remain dark and species aren’t affected by light pollution.