The sonic wonders of our world are under threat. We need to listen

By David George Haskell.

In the rainforest, thousands of species sing and call, forming acoustic layers so rich that the human mind can be overwhelmed. Drop a hydrophone into the ocean and you will hear the same richness, but it is not the same as our ears. Shrimp are like cooking bacon fat and fish are like ping and chitter.

There are hundreds of thousands of other vocal wonders. Every vocal species has a distinctive sound. The acoustic character of every place on the globe is singular.

This magnificence is recent. The diversity of sounds flourished late on Earth. Sonic evolution was held back for hundreds of millions of years because of the keen ears of predatory animals. The ancestors of fish and insects started to sing 300 million years ago. Sonic diversity has flourished because of the great advantages of vocal communication.

We live in a world of sonic wonder, yet it is being eroded worldwide. Sonic diversity is under attack in many places.

In some places, sonic loss is caused by the destruction of habitats. There is a problem with noise. Other species can't hear one another because machines pump so much sound into water and air.

The problem of noise in the ocean is so bad that it is nearly impossible for many species to survive.

In habitats such as dense rainforests or turbid oceans, sound is the only way to communicate. This communication allows complex animal life to thrive.

The viability of species and communities is at risk. Sound connects animals to their mates, offspring and countrymen, and so noise can degrade the social and ecological networks of vocal species.

Practical reasons include sound and its diminishment. As sound travels through dense vegetation or murky water, it gives us information about unseen or hard-to-measure trends. Land managers use the diversity of sounds in the rainforests to quickly assess the health of the environment. It would take decades to catch and identify every species, yet sound recordings capture some of the essence of biodiversity within hours.

Humans are affected by environmental noise, with complaints about noise pollution dating to the very first cities, recorded on clay tablets. The noise is not just an annoyance: it creates burdens that sicken and kill. According to the European Environment Agency, environmental noise in Europe causes 12,000 premature deaths and 48,000 new cases of ischaemic heart disease per year.

Sound can be used to measure the environment. Documenting noise pollution can help us assess environmental harm.

What can be done to fix these problems? We might also find space to listen to the scientific studies of trends in sonic loss, activism to advocate for justice and policy-making to reduce noise pollution and habitat destruction. Is it possible to go out with friends to hear a concert and not harm the birds in the park? We might find inspiration and a connection to our neighbours in this simple act.

Sounds Wild and Broken was written by David George Haskell.