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Starry Skies, Bright Futures: Roadmap for Romania’s First Dark-Sky Preserve

  • Writer: Ioan Mararu
    Ioan Mararu
  • Jun 22
  • 12 min read

Updated: Jun 23

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Length: Approximately 2,200 words (~7 pages double-spaced, 10-minute read)

Authors: Ioan Mararu, Amala Mararu @ Mararu & Mararu S.C.A.

Published: June 22, 2025

Abstract: Romania’s pristine night skies, among Europe’s last dark havens, face encroaching light pollution, threatening a shared EU patrimony. This white paper proposes Romania’s first dark-sky preserve (DSP), harnessing underdeveloped rural regions to ignite astro-tourism, economic growth, and scientific discovery. Led by Politehnica București (UPB) and the Romanian Astronomical Society for Meteors (SARM), with ties to national and local authorities, the DSP leverages Romania’s untapped skies as a strategic EU asset. We detail benefits: €5–10M in tourism, >200 jobs, ecological preservation, and a narrative roadmap, blending EU funding and public-private models. Rooted in Mararu & Mararu’s STEM advocacy and amateur astronomy passion, this proposal, with synergies to King Charles’ Transylvanian legacy, aims to make Romania a dark-sky pioneer by 2028, a model for Europe’s fading skies.


Introduction

Romania’s night skies, a canvas of constellations from the Carpathians to the Danube Delta, are among Europe’s last bastions of darkness, a rare jewel in a continent where 80% of citizens cannot see the Milky Way (Falchi et al., 2016). Preserved by economic underdevelopment, these pristine havens face the creeping threat of light pollution, exacerbated by humidity in lowland regions, dimming their scientific, cultural, and economic promise (Globe at Night, 2025). As Western Europe’s skies vanish under industrial glow, Romania’s dark skies are a strategic imperative for the EU, a patrimony demanding urgent protection through sustainable development.


Inspired by global dark-sky preserves (DSPs) like Canada’s Mont Mégantic (2007) and Chile’s Gabriela Mistral (2015) - DarkSky International, 2023 -, dark sky parks and protection areas, we propose Romania’s first DSP, a beacon for astro-tourism, economic uplift, and ecological harmony.


Mararu & Mararu S.C.A., as space lawyers and amateur astronomers who’ve chased Transilvania’s stars, envisions Politehnica București (UPB) and the Romanian Astronomical Society for Meteors (SARM) as co-leaders, leveraging ties to the Romanian Space Agency (ROSA), ministries, and local councils (SARM, 2025). This white paper, rooted in our STEM advocacy, outlines transformative benefits and a roadmap to 2028, with EU funding and synergies to King Charles’ III Transylvanian preservation efforts. Romania’s skies are Europe’s heritage. Let’s save them for the future generations.


The Scarcity of Dark Skies: A Strategic EU Imperative


Europe’s night skies are fading fast. Over 85% of EU territory glows with artificial light, erasing constellations and disrupting ecosystems (Ref.: Interreg Night Light, 2020). Romania, by contrast, harbors Bortle Scale 1–2 regions (Făgăraș, Apuseni, Maramureș), where the Milky Way blazes, a rarity in a continent where only 5% of citizens see pristine skies (Falchi et al., 2016). This scarcity, born of Romania’s rural underdevelopment, is a strategic asset for the EU, where Western nations like Germany or the Netherlands face shrinking dark zones due to relentless urbanization. A Romanian DSP is not just national pride, it’s a must-have for Europe’s astronomers, tourists, and wildlife, preserving a shared patrimony before unwary development dims it forever.


Consider Hans, a Dutch astronomy club member, limited to two weeks of clear skies yearly in Utrecht’s Bortle 5 haze. He dreams of Romania’s Făgăraș, where low humidity and zero skyglow offer months of crystal-clear observation, as noted in SARM’s 2025 Canare expedition (SARM, 2025). A DSP ensures Hans and thousands like him - German astrophotographers, French researchers - access Europe’s last dark havens, boosting Romania’s €500M tourism sector while safeguarding EU biodiversity (Interreg DARKERSKY4CE, 2024). If Romania delays, urban sprawl could mirror Poland’s light-polluted east, a loss for all Europe.


Benefits of a Romanian Dark-Sky Preserve

Astro-Tourism: A Stellar Economic Engine


A DSP ignites astro-tourism, turning Romania’s dark skies into a €5–10M annual draw, mirroring Australia’s Warrumbungle (€15M, 2023) - see DarkSky International, 2023. In Maramureș, 50,000 visitors yearly could flood accommodation hosts (“pensiuni”, Rom.), star parties, and meteor watches, creating >200 jobs - see UNWTO, 2025. DarkSky’s certification brands Romania a global stargazing hub, Chile’s Elqui Valley equivalent in the E.U. - see DarkSky International, 2023.


Picture Maria, a Vișeu de Sus tour guide, launching “Maramureș Star Trails” in a DSP. Her €150/night eco-lodges draw UK families and Italian astronomy clubs, who marvel at Orion through SARM-led telescopes under low-humidity skies (SARM, 2025). Local bakers sell €5 star-shaped cookies (“prăjituri”, Rom.), and artisans craft €20 constellation pendants, injecting €2M into the county, per 2025 tourism multipliers (OECD, 2025). For EU tourists like Sophie from Paris, Romania’s DSP offers a starry escape from France’s Bortle 6 cities, fueling €500K in cross-border bookings.


Economic Uplift: Untapped Skies as Rural Wealth


Romania’s rural counties, often overlooked, hold their greatest asset in untapped dark skies, yielding unmatched cost-benefit ratios. Canada’s Jasper DSP supports 1,000 jobs, a model for Maramureș or Dobrogea (Parks Canada, 2024). A Romanian DSP could generate €1–2M in local taxes, funding schools and roads, while SMEs thrive on €50K micro-ventures - see OECD, 2025.


Ion, a Făgăraș shepherd, opens a DSP campsite, earning €40,000 yearly from 800 Czech, Hungarian and Polish campers, per SARM’s 2019 astro-tourism data (SARM, 2019). His daughter sells €10 herbal teas, sparking a €100K local market. Unlike Romania’s €1B mining sector, skies require no extraction, only preservation, offering a 10:1 ROI (for further insight, read Interreg DARKERSKY4CE, 2024). EU rural regions, like Spain’s Ávila DSP (€3M tourism, 2020), prove dark skies outshine industrial sprawl, a lesson for Romania’s lagging counties - Interreg DARKERSKY4CE, 2024.


Technical Framework: Lighting for Dark Skies


A DSP demands DarkSky-compliant lighting: fully shielded, ≤2700K (ideally 2200K) LEDs with U0 BUG ratings (no uplight), to curb skyglow and wildlife harm DarkSky International, 2023 DarkSky Approved, 2025.


EU’s EN 13201 norm risks over-illumination, but 2200K fixtures from Osram and Selux, available in Romania, align with DarkSky’s Fixture Seal of Approval, cutting bat disruption by 30% Osram, 2025 Selux, 2025.


IDA’s classifications - Communities, Parks, Reserves, Sanctuaries, Urban Places - position Făgăraș as a Dark Sky Park, akin to Croatia’s Petrova Gora (2019) BBC Sky at Night, 2018.


Croatia’s 2200K lighting law slashed road fatalities by 64% (293 to 106, 2007–2017), proving safety gains, while saving 70% energy with 20W amber LEDs vs. 70W sodium lamps Astronomy Society Infinity, 2018.


Low-CCT LEDs improve sleep by 20%, per chronobiology studies, enhancing rural health Interreg DARKERSKY4CE, 2024.


Maramureș mayors clamor for DSPs to draw €2M tourism and media, countering 30% unemployment and low investment, per OECD 2025 OECD, 2025. Maria’s 2200K-lit lodges and Ana’s observatory, using SARM’s Perseide precision, could save €500K in energy, boosting local pride and €100M space market SARM, 2016 ROSA, 2025 (Economic Uplift cross-reference for tourism/jobs).


Osram, Electrica SA, and Strabag compete for €1M LED retrofits, €2M eco-lodges, and €500K observatories, drawn by €3M Interreg grants, €5M Horizon Europe, and 20% tax breaks (Financing cross-reference) EC, 2023 Horizon Europe, 2025. DarkSky certification and BBC coverage offer branding, while UPB/SARM partnerships unlock €500K R&D, sparking bids from CNAIR and Regia Pădurilor for motorway and park contracts ROSA, 2025 BBC Sky at Night, 2018.


Traction and benefits iterations:


  • Road Safety: Slovenia’s 2007 law (similar to Croatia’s) reduced fatalities by 27% in one year, reinforcing Croatia’s 64% drop, per DarkSky Slovenia (2023).

  • Human Health: Blue-light reduction (2200K LEDs) lowers melatonin suppression by 25%, improving mental health, per Interreg DARKERSKY4CE (2024).

  • Energy Savings: Poland’s Bieszczady DSP cut rural lighting costs by 60% with 2700K LEDs, a model for Romania’s €500K savings, per 2025 Interreg data.

  • Local Interest: Apuseni mayors report 40% less tourism vs. urban areas, per UNWTO 2025, making DSPs a €1–2M grant magnet, per COMOTI’s R&D ties (June 13, 2025).

  • Biodiversity: 2200K LEDs reduce insect mortality by 35%, per DarkSky’s 2023 studies, supporting Romania’s lynx and chamois.

  • Community Pride: DSPs boost local identity by 20%, per Croatia’s Petrova Gora surveys (2019), drawing media like BBC Sky at Night.


Scientific Advancement: A Beacon for Astronomy


DSPs enable world-class astronomy, as at Chile’s Paranal Observatory, where low humidity and darkness drive €20M research - ESO, 2024. Romania’s space sector, with UPB’s aerospace engineering faculty and ROSA’s satellites, needs a DSP to host a €10M telescope, funded by Horizon Europe Horizon Europe, 2025. SARM’s meteor expertise, honed at Perseide 2016, ensures observational precision SARM, 2016.


Ana, a UPB student, uses a DSP’s Făgăraș observatory to map asteroids, her OSINT data (NASA Black Marble) guiding site selection NASA Black Marble, 2025. Her findings, shared with ESA, draw €500K grants, per ROSA’s 2025 partnerships (ROSA, 2025). German astronomers, constrained by Hamburg’s Bortle 5 skies, rely on Romania’s clear, dry nights, boosting UPB’s global rank and Romania’s €100M space market.


Cultural and Ecological Preservation


Romania’s skies star in Dacian myths, guiding shepherds in Apuseni lore. A DSP, backed by SARM’s cultural events (e.g., Canare 2025 - Globe at Night, 2025 SARM, 2025), preserves this heritage against 60% sky loss  Ecologically, shielded lighting protects bats and lynx, per Canada’s Grasslands DSP DarkSky International, 2023. King Charles’ Transylvanian foundation, championing Viscri’s pre-industrial charm, aligns with DSP’s lighting retrofitting ethos, offering patronage potential if ROSA/ESA priorities allow - Charles, 2024.


Elena, a Dobrogea teacher, hosts DSP star parties, retelling Zalmoxis tales under Bortle 2 skies, per SARM’s 2019 youth camps SARM, 2019. French ecologists, studying Romania’s chamois in the highlands, praise DSP’s wildlife gains, a €200K research boost (read further references at Interreg DARKERSKY4CE, 2024). This dual preservation, cultural and ecological, is Romania’s gift to Europe’s fading heritage.


Financing the DSP: Smart Capital for a Starry Future


Establishing a DSP requires €5–10M for observatories, lighting retrofits, and tourism infrastructure, per DarkSky’s 2023 models DarkSky International, 2023. Romania can secure this through EU funds, public-private partnerships (PPPs), and national incentives, creating a replicable model for Bulgaria or Moldova.


  • EU Funding: Romania’s €83.5B EU allocation (2021–2030), including €31B from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), targets green tourism and biodiversity EC, 2023. A €5M Horizon Europe grant (2025) could fund UPB’s telescope, while €3M from Interreg Central Europe (DARKERSKY4CE, 2024) supports lighting ordinances Interreg DARKERSKY4CE, 2024 Horizon Europe, 2025.

  • PPPs: Partner with SMEs (Romanian space industry employers, June 13, 2025) for €2M in campsites and telescopes, per Canada’s Jasper model (€5M private, 2024), Parks Canada, 2024. Insurers like Axa XL, eyeing €1.2B space markets, could co-fund €500K for eco-certifications, reducing premiums 10% Axa XL, 2024.

  • National Incentives: Romania’s 2025 tourism budget (€100M) and RRP’s €1.2B clean energy fund can cover €1M in local grants IMF, 2023. Tax breaks for DSP-compliant SMEs (e.g., 20% on eco-lodges) draw €1M private capital OECD, 2025.

  • Model for Replication: Bulgaria, with 70% light-polluted skies, could adopt Romania’s EU-PPP blend, scaling €10M DSPs via Interreg Interreg Central Europe, 2024.


Stakeholders:


  • LED Manufacturers: Firms like Osram, Selux, and Signify produce DarkSky-approved 2200K–2700K LEDs, seeking market expansion in green projects DarkSky Approved, 2025. Romania’s DSP offers a high-profile contract (€1M for 50,000-ha retrofits).

  • Electrical/Lighting Infrastructure Firms: Companies like Electrica SA (Romania) or Schneider Electric install lighting systems, eyeing energy efficiency contracts (€500K savings potential) Interreg DARKERSKY4CE, 2024.

  • Constructors/Builders: Firms like Strabag or PORR Romania build observatories and eco-lodges, drawn to €2M tourism infrastructure projects OECD, 2025.

  • Park/Recreational Management Firms: Operators like Regia Națională a Pădurilor manage Natura 2000 sites, seeking €1M grants for eco-tourism UNWTO, 2025.

  • Motorway/Public Roads Contractors: Companies like CNAIR (Romania) or Vinci Autoroutes handle road lighting, motivated by 64% safety gains and €500K energy cuts Astronomy Society Infinity, 2018.

  • Other Stakeholders: Insurers (Axa XL), SMEs (COMOTI), and media (BBC Sky at Night) seek visibility and €100K–€500K contracts Axa XL, 2025.


Incentives:


  • Financial: EU grants (€3M Interreg, €5M Horizon Europe), RRP loans (€31B, 2021–2030), tax breaks (20% for eco-lodges), and PPPs (€2M SMEs) reduce upfront costs EC, 2023.

  • Market Visibility: DarkSky certification and media coverage (e.g., BBC Sky at Night) boost brand prestige, per Croatia’s Petrova Gora (2019) BBC Sky at Night, 2019.

  • Regulatory Compliance: Romania’s DSP Law (modeled on Croatia’s 2200K) aligns with EU’s EN 13201 and Green Deal, easing permits DarkSky International, 2023.

  • Sustainability Goals: Stakeholders meet ESG targets (30% emission cuts), attracting €500K investor funding Interreg DARKERSKY4CE, 2024.


Additional Financing Lines:


  • Innovation Fund: €12B (2020–2030) for low-carbon tech, offering €1M–€3M grants for LED manufacturing or observatory construction Innovation Fund, 2025.

  • Connecting Europe Facility (CEF): €5.8B (2021–2027) for energy infrastructure, with €600M for cross-border renewable projects (e.g., smart grids for DSP lighting) CEF, 2025.

  • InvestEU: €26.2B to leverage €370B private funds, offering loans/guarantees for €2M eco-lodges or park facilities InvestEU, 2025.

  • Modernisation Fund: €14B for Romania’s energy efficiency, funding €1M LED retrofits Modernisation Fund, 2025.

  • National Incentives: Romania’s €100M tourism budget and €1.2B RRP clean energy fund offer €500K grants and 20% tax breaks IMF, 2023.


Competitive Bidding Drivers:


  • High-Profile Branding: DSP’s DarkSky certification and EU media coverage (e.g., Nature Astronomy) make it a flagship project, like Croatia’s Lastovo (2001) Astronomy Society Infinity, 2018.

  • First-Mover Advantage: Early bidders (e.g., Osram, Strabag) gain market share in Romania’s €100M space sector and €500M tourism market ROSA, 2025 UNWTO, 2025.


Consortium Benefits: Partnerships with UPB, SARM, and COMOTI (June 13, 2025) offer R&D contracts (€500K) and EU funding access EC, 2023.


Public Support: Mayors’ vested interests in their communities ensure fast permits and €1M local grants, per OECD 2025 OECD, 2025.

Ion’s €40,000 campsite, funded by a €20K RRP grant and €20K SME loan, shows PPPs’ power. EU astronomers like Hans fund €100K in cross-border research, proving Romania’s model as Europe’s dark-sky blueprint.


Roadmap: A Journey to Romania’s Starry Destiny


Romania’s dark skies, a fragile EU treasure, demand urgent action before urban sprawl mirrors Western Europe’s 85% sky loss as per Falchi et al., 2016. UPB and SARM, with Mararu & Mararu’s legal and STEM advocacy, will lead this odyssey, uniting stakeholders for a 2028 DSP and a 2035 national network.


The journey begins in 2025, as UPB’s Inter-Faculty Dark-Sky Task Force (IDSTF), formed of 20 students from aerospace, ecology and other engineering faculties coordinated by a group of 5 inter-faculty professors, mentored by SARM’s Perseide veterans, maps Romania’s celestial havens. Harnessing OSINT like Sentinel-2 imagery and public repositories such as LightPollutionMap.info, with its 10,000 Romanian measurements, they pinpoint Făgăraș or Apuseni, where Bortle 2 darkness and low humidity rival La Palma’s observatories SARM, 2025LightPollutionMap.info, 2025.


Ana, an aerospace student, uncovers Dobrogea’s 0.5 mcd/m² skies, her findings rallying Maramureș mayors dreaming of €2M tourism by 2028 UNWTO, 2025. By late 2026, UPB’s DSP Site Report, unveiled at ROSA’s conference, charts a path forward, shared on lawinspace.com to inspire EU astronomers like Hans, constrained by Utrecht’s Bortle 5 haze ROSA, 2025.


By 2026, UPB and SARM weave a DSP Coalition, drawing ROSA, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Development, and Alba County councils into a shared vision. Mararu & Mararu, having chased Transylvania’s Andromeda Galaxy with our telescopes, crafts a DSP Law, blending DarkSky’s shielded lighting with Romania’s Law No. 262/2011, ensuring Făgăraș’s skies stay light pollution-free (DarkSky International, 2023 SARM, 2025).


IDSTF workshops in București, backed by SARM’s Canare 2025 outreach, convince Parliament’s Science Committee, while King Charles III Viscri foundation, if ROSA/ESA priorities align, lends cultural gravitas, echoing his 2024 preservation ethos. By 2027, Parliament passes the law, a €3M Interreg grant fueling retrofits across 50,000 ha Interreg DARKERSKY4CE, 2024.


In 2027, UPB submits a DarkSky Park application, fortified by SARM’s meteor expertise and €5M from Horizon Europe Horizon Europe, 2025. A 2028 pilot in Făgăraș (star parties, €500K ROSA telescopes) draws 10,000 tourists, per SARM’s 2019 camps SARM, 2019. Maria’s eco-lodges host German clubs, their €200K bookings proving astro-tourism’s pull, while Ana’s exoplanet data lands a €500K ESA grant UNWTO, 2025 ROSA, 2025. UPB’s 2028 DSP Summit, co-hosted with ESA, publishes results in Nature Astronomy, cementing Romania’s lead.


By 2029, UPB scales the model to Dobrogea and Apuseni, training Cluj-Napoca, Iași and Timișoara universities with €5M EU Green Deal funds EC, 2023. Ana, now a ROSA researcher, leads a 2032 Dobrogea DSP, adding €5M tourism. By 2035, a Romanian Dark-Sky Network—200,000 ha, €10M-backed—sets a blueprint for Bulgaria, ensuring Europe’s starry heart endures Interreg Central Europe, 2024 UNWTO, 2025.


Mararu & Mararu’s Role: STEM Advocates and Stargazers


As space lawyers and amateur astronomers, Mararu & Mararu brings passion to the DSP consortium. Our nights chasing Făgăraș’s Andromeda Galaxy or Orion’s belt asterism star formation regions near Hunedoara’s Sarmizegetusa Regia site fuel our STEM advocacy, rooted in 25 years of legal excellence. We offer pro bono legal support, drafting DSP Law, ensuring OST compliance (Article I), and advocacy, rallying SMEs via the Romanian industry employers association. As consortium advisors, we bridge UPB, SARM, and councils, ensuring a €10M-funded, legally robust DSP by 2028, per our Lunar Law Unleashed vision Mararu & Mararu, 2025.


Conclusion: Saving Europe’s Starry Patrimony


Romania’s dark skies, a dwindling EU treasure, demand action. A DSP in Făgăraș or Maramureș, led by UPB, SARM, and Mararu & Mararu, unlocks €5–10M in astro-tourism, >200 jobs, and €10M in science, while preserving lynx and Dacian myths. From Maria’s lodges to Ana’s telescope, this is Romania’s gift to Europe, where 85% of skies are lost. With €8M from EU funds and PPPs, Romania can pioneer a model for Bulgaria and beyond, ensuring the Milky Way endures. The stars call. Let’s answer.


References:



Media Inquiries: +40-741-979-979, space@mararu.com

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