ECHOEScapes – Ecoacoustic Composition in response to Habitat and landscape structure - effects On spatio-temporal sound distribution and its relevance as a cultural Ecosystem Service.

• Applicant: Dr. Sandra Mueller
• Subject Area: Ecology of Land Use ; Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems ; Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 569059640

ECHOEscapes investigates the relationships between land use, biodiversity, and cultural ecosystem services through the lens of soundscape ecology within the Biodiversity Exploratories (BE) research platform. Soundscapes - composed of biophony, geophony, and anthropophony - are vital natural resources that reflect ecological dynamics and contribute to human well-being. By integrating natural and social science perspectives, this project examines local community perceptions of soundscapes and aligns them with objectively measured indicators of soundscape quality and aesthetic value. The study employs a multi-faceted approach across three work packages. First, acoustic data from the BEsound project will be analyzed using advanced machine learning techniques to classify sound events (biophony, geophony, anthropophony) and quantify soundscape characteristics such as naturalness, diversity, and uniqueness. Second, spatial and temporal models will link these soundscape patterns to environmental factors including land use intensity, landscape composition, slope, and proximity to human infrastructure. A cross-European synthesis will assess the transferability of these relationships to French and Finish landscapes. Third, community engagement activities - including questionnaires, soundwalks, and a citizen science initiative - will explore local perceptions of regional soundscapes and their cultural significance. Expected outcomes include: (i) identifying key environmental predictors of soundscape aesthetic values; (ii) producing spatio-temporal maps that identify hotspots of soundscape quality for conservation planning; (iii) conducting a synthesis analysis of soundscape drivers across European contexts; and (iv) improving understanding of public perceptions of soundscapes as natural heritage. The project aims to provide valuable insights into how landscape management can support the protection of natural soundscapes while strengthening human connections to local environments. Enhanced indicators for quantifying acoustic diversity from an ecosystem service perspective will also be made available for use in socio-ecological and biodiversity-health research within BE. By addressing these objectives, ECHOEscapes seeks to deepen understanding of the complex interplay between land use, biodiversity, and cultural ecosystem services.

• DFG Programme: Infrastructure Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1374: Biodiversity Exploratories
• International Connection: Finland, France
• Co-Investigator: Professorin Dr. Hanna Meyer
• Cooperation Partners: Dr. Luc Barbaro; Jonathan Stuart Carruthers-Jones, Ph.D.