Now versus then

I have always believed that natural sound is one of the clearest barometers of the health of our planet.When an ecosystem is thriving, you can hear it. The layers of birds, insects, frogs, mammals, wind, and water all exist in balance. Sound tells the truth long before statistics do.When human made noise enters that space, the balance shifts.As a young sound recordist, I could sit in the woods or by a stream for hours with little interruption. The only problem was how quickly my tapes filled up. What I captured then was abundant, complex, and alive.Today, truly quiet places are rare. Wildlife populations have declined dramatically in my lifetime, and vast areas of wild land have been altered or fragmented. The skies are filled with constant aircraft noise, and the natural world now competes with leaf blowers, vehicles, boats, machinery, and an endless human hum.Some birds now change their pitch just to be heard. In the oceans, increasing noise disrupts communication for whales and dolphins that rely on sound to survive.There are very few places left untouched by us.When I compare the soundscape of my childhood to what exists today, I understand why sitting undisturbed in nature once felt like such a gift. It is painful to witness the slow disappearance of something so fundamental.Sound is not just something we hear. It is how the natural world speaks.And we are losing the conversation.www.thelisteningplanet.com