What is bioacoustics?
How does sound measure life?
TLDR; Bioacoustics is a relatively new field at the intersection of machine learning (AI) and ecology. The field is about measuring animal ecology through sound spectrums where recorded data is analysed by algorithms rather than trained ecologists. The idea is to measure the variety and complexity of a soundscape and use this as an overall indicator of ecosystem health: just as dead men tell no tales, dead landscapes don’t make any noises.
“Just as dead men tell no tales, dead landscapes don’t make any noises”
If you’ve ever sat amongst the trees and just listened, then you know that there is something uniquely satisfying about listening to birds twittering. It’s the song of life that makes this magic, and the chorus of voices and complexity that makes this song. Fauna, from the birds and bees, to the rarely seen cloud leopard, all have their own distinct sound signatures. And, these signatures have deep value for gardeners, birders, farmers and ecologists because life (and biodiversity) creates the conditions for life.
So what does this mean?
It means that for a planet/species in crisis, as we humans are, which has to undergo a transformation on multiple levels, listening to the voices of life has become more and more fundamental.
Bioacoustics is an emerging field that combines acoustics and ecology, with a splash of machine learning. The idea is to identify animal complexity through soundscapes, and use that as a metric for ecosystem health. It’s simple but powerful: Life creates life, and life is noisy and diverse, so as life comes back to a site that is being restored, expect more noise and song. On a regenerative farm that integrates wild spaces, and creates homes for wild pollinators, expect more bees, beetles, bugs and butterflies. These are the metrics of life.
In bioacoustic monitoring, microphones that are attenuated to various frequencies both below the human audible range, and above it are able to capture this sound complex. The data is then recorded onto a local device (an SD card) or processed and transmitted (more sophisticated) and then analyzed so that individual voices can be picked out: A bit like listening to a conversation in a crowded café you tune somethings out so that you can tune into other things. A vibrant café has a vibrant soundscape; and it’s good to know who is visiting.
A bioacoustic network, is a network of sensors that communicate with each other and a computational backend system. This system of devices is used to monitor the animal life in specific regions. This data is vitally important if you are investing into natural capital and aligned with taking care of the Earth.
“Taking care of biodiversity also takes care of carbon, and water conservation.”
Regulators are moving towards biodiversity measurement at the moment, and natural capital restoration that works with nature is moving into the center of the conservation conversation. It’s a no brainer — taking care of biodiversity also takes care of carbon, and water conservation. It’s not a simple metric to measure (biodiversity measurement is a complex art) but biodiversity conservation has a number of ancillary benefits: including increased crop yields for regenerative farmers, better soil health, better water and overall environmental improvement. And, let’s not forget the beauty of a natural landscape and it’s soundscape.
If we’ve piqued your curiosity, that’s wonderful. Watch this space to find out more about Earthstream: Listen and you will see….