School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, Jelgavas iela 1, Riga, LV-1004, Latvia.
Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 2;12(1):6217. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-26488-1.
Natural sounds, and bird song in particular, play a key role in building and maintaining our connection with nature, but widespread declines in bird populations mean that the acoustic properties of natural soundscapes may be changing. Using data-driven reconstructions of soundscapes in lieu of historical recordings, here we quantify changes in soundscape characteristics at more than 200,000 sites across North America and Europe. We integrate citizen science bird monitoring data with recordings of individual species to reveal a pervasive loss of acoustic diversity and intensity of soundscapes across both continents over the past 25 years, driven by changes in species richness and abundance. These results suggest that one of the fundamental pathways through which humans engage with nature is in chronic decline, with potentially widespread implications for human health and well-being.
自然声音，特别是鸟鸣，在建立和维护我们与自然的联系方面起着关键作用，但鸟类数量的广泛减少意味着自然声景的声学特性可能正在发生变化。本研究使用基于数据的声音景观重建来代替历史记录，定量分析了北美洲和欧洲超过 20 万个地点的声音景观特征的变化。我们将公民科学鸟类监测数据与单个物种的录音相结合，揭示了在过去 25 年中，两个大陆的声音景观的声学多样性和强度普遍丧失，这是由物种丰富度和丰度的变化所驱动的。这些结果表明，人类与自然互动的基本途径之一正在持续减少，这可能对人类健康和福祉产生广泛影响。
