{"id":14216,"date":"2025-02-25T19:05:48","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T19:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=14216"},"modified":"2025-02-25T19:05:48","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T19:05:48","slug":"costa-rica-is-saving-forest-ecosystems-by-listening-to-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=14216","title":{"rendered":"Costa Rica Is Saving Forest Ecosystems by Listening to Them"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Monica Retamosa was<\/span> in the middle of changing the batteries of a tape recorder when she heard a bellbird for the first time. Standing on a forest floor, she looked up into the trees, scanning for the source of its metallic and powerful sound<\/a>, searching for the bird for half an hour to no avail. The bellbird sings from the treetops where it is visible to its peers but invisible to those below. Still, Retamosa smiled: She cares for ecosystems in Costa Rica\u2019s AmistOsa Biological Corridor by listening to them.<\/p>\n

In nature, living things use sound for almost everything. They make calls to attract mates, communicate identities, warn of dangers, guide the way, and help in hunting or defense. For decades, researchers have tracked species with recorders in hand, and still do, though increasingly are using remote recording devices too. The study of the sounds organisms make is known as bioacoustics<\/a>. Retamosa has been doing this work for 10 years.<\/p>\n

Using bioacoustic recordings, studies have shown that some birds shout loudly to make themselves heard in cities and that sea turtle hatchlings communicate from the nest to coordinate their hatching. And when bioacoustics is combined with other sounds\u2014those made by humans, as well as the natural sounds of the landscape, such as the crashing of waves in the sea\u2014it is possible to interpret deeper ecological meaning. It becomes possible to monitor changes in biodiversity, detect threats, and measure the effectiveness of conservation strategies. This wider analysis of sound is known as ecoacoustics\u2014and it is exactly the work underway here in Costa Rica.<\/p>\n

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