Astute ecologists claim that a concerning reduction in healthy biodiversity is reflected in the loss of noise intensity and diversity in ecosystems.
International experts have warned that unless immediate action is taken to stop environmental destruction, the sounds of the natural world will quickly become silent and will eventually become “acoustic fossils.”
Sound has grown in importance as a tool for assessing ecosystem health and biodiversity as a result of technological advancements; our forests, soils, and oceans all have unique acoustic signatures.
Ecoacoustics scientists quantify species and habitats, and they report that thousands of habitats are becoming quieter as the planet experiences remarkable losses in species diversity and density.
Many of the familiar sounds that accompany them—such as the hum of insects in summer, the rustle of mammals through the undergrowth, and the morning calls of birds—disappear or become muffled.
A “deathly silence” can be heard in some ecosystems these days, according to University of Bristol professor Steve Simpson. “It is a race against time; we have only recently realized they produce these sounds, and already we can hear them fading.”
“There has been a significant change. According to US soundscape recordist Bernie Krause, who has spent the last 55 years recording over 5,000 hours of audio from seven continents, these events are occurring worldwide. He calculates that habitats that are no longer in existence make up 70% of his archive.
Professor Bryan Pijanowski of Purdue University in the US has recorded sounds from almost all of the major ecosystem types in the world over the course of 40 years of listening to natural sounds.
“All we have left is the sounds of the past that have been preserved and recorded; they are the sounds of species that may no longer exist,” he declared.
Many of us own recordings from long-since-gone locations, and we have no idea what species those are. In that regard, they are already acoustic fossils.
