Right to starlight: scenic sites and opportunities for sustainable astrotourism in Badulla

Abstract

The paper studies the opportunities and constraints in utilizing existing scenic areas for astrotourism in Sri Lanka’s montane region. Using the Badulla city as a case study, the paper’s objective is to identify the current challenges and potentials for establishing dark sky places. The methodology combines the findings of a comprehensive literature review with secondary data from global satellite imagery and field photographic study. The study reveals that scenic places in montane regions offers significant opportunities for astrotourism, increasing light pollution from nearby urban centres induces significant limitation. The paper concludes that the scenic areas which are to be utilized for astrotourism should be located away from urban centres in higher elevations while orienting it’s view away from the urban core. The paper concludes setting out policy interventions on lighting malpractices and planning strategies to reduce light pollution in accordance with international standards to overcome the constraints would provide better conditions for astrotourism establishment.