Monitoring Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity through Bioacoustics

The study of environmental acoustics, or bioacoustics, has emerged as a critical tool for monitoring the cascading impacts of climate change on global ecosystems. By deploying vast networks of audio recorders, researchers can analyze changes in natural soundscapes, providing early warnings of environmental degradation and informing conservation strategies aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Terrestrial Ecosystems and SDG 15: Life on Land

Audio data provides a unique capacity to monitor ecosystem dynamics across vast landscapes, which is essential for addressing the scale of climate change and achieving the targets of SDG 15 (Life on Land). Changes in the acoustic signatures of terrestrial wildlife serve as direct indicators of threats to biodiversity and habitat integrity.

• Avian Population Decline: A 2021 study analyzing soundscapes from over 200,000 sites in North America and Europe found a pervasive loss of acoustic diversity and intensity over 25 years. This sonic dampening directly reflects a decrease in bird species abundance and richness, driven by habitat loss and warming temperatures.
• Altered Phenology: Climate-driven changes, such as shorter winters and earlier springs, are altering the timing of animal behaviors. In Alaska, for example, the mating calls of wood frogs are occurring at different times, indicating a significant shift in seasonal cycles that can disrupt reproduction.
• Wildlife Health Indicators: Following intense wildfires in Indonesia, researchers documented changes in the pitch and harshness of orangutan calls. These vocal shifts suggested respiratory distress, demonstrating how bioacoustics can monitor the sublethal health impacts of climate-related events like air pollution from fires.
• Invasive Species Management: In the Sierra Nevada, bioacoustic monitoring detected a significant increase in the presence of invasive barred owls, which threaten native California spotted owls through competition. This audio evidence enabled a coalition of partners to implement a successful removal program, directly contributing to the protection of native biodiversity as mandated by SDG 15.

Marine Ecosystems and SDG 14: Life Below Water

Using underwater microphones known as hydrophones, scientists are documenting how climate change and human activity are altering the soundscapes of marine environments. This research is vital for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas, and marine resources, as outlined in SDG 14 (Life Below Water).

• Marine Heatwave Impacts: During the severe “Blob” marine heatwave in the Pacific Ocean (2013-2016), researchers observed that blue and humpback whales vocalized significantly less. This change was likely due to the animals conserving energy to forage for scarce food sources, illustrating the profound impact of rising ocean temperatures on the behavior of keystone marine species.
• Anthropogenic Noise Pollution: Noise generated by human activities such as shipping and drilling can drown out natural marine sounds, interfering with the communication, navigation, and foraging of marine life. Mitigating this form of pollution is a key target within SDG 14.
• Acoustic Changes from Ocean Warming: Rising ocean temperatures may amplify certain sounds, such as the popping noises made by snapping shrimp, which can be loud enough to interfere with ship sonar. Concurrently, acoustic tools can capture the sound of melting icebergs, providing direct auditory evidence of the physical impacts of global warming.

Broader Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts Linked to Climate Change

The consequences of a changing climate extend beyond natural ecosystems, affecting global policy, economic stability, and human well-being. Recent events and research underscore the interconnectedness of environmental health with several key SDGs.

Climate Action and Global Policy (SDG 13 & SDG 12)

International efforts are underway to address key drivers of environmental degradation. Delegates from over 170 countries are engaged in negotiations to establish a global treaty to curb plastic pollution. This initiative directly supports SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and is intrinsically linked to SDG 13 (Climate Action), as plastic production is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Economic and Community Resilience (SDG 8 & SDG 11)

Climate-fueled extreme weather events are increasingly harming local economies and communities, undermining progress toward SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

1. Impact on Small Businesses: In the aftermath of extreme weather events like Hurricane Helene, small businesses in towns such as Asheville, North Carolina, have faced severe economic disruption. The slow recovery of these businesses, many of which rely on tourism, highlights the vulnerability of local economies to climate shocks.
2. Community Devastation and Recovery: The 2023 wildfires that devastated Lahaina, Hawaii, serve as a stark reminder of the destructive power of climate-related disasters. The slow and challenging process of rebuilding demonstrates the immense difficulty in creating resilient communities and infrastructure in the face of escalating climate threats.

Educational Disparities and Health (SDG 4)

A new report analyzing data from 14.5 million students across 61 countries has found that heat exposure significantly disrupts cognitive performance, memory, and attention. This issue disproportionately affects Black, Latino, and low-income students, who can experience up to four times more learning loss due to disparities in cooling infrastructure. These findings reveal a critical threat to achieving the goals of SDG 4 (Quality Education), particularly its aim to ensure inclusive and equitable learning environments for all.

Analysis of SDGs in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 13: Climate Action: The entire article is framed around the “cascading impacts of climate change and human activity on ecosystems and wildlife.” It discusses warming temperatures, marine heatwaves like “The Blob,” intense wildfires in Indonesia and Hawaii, and extreme weather like Hurricane Helene, all as consequences of a warming planet that require urgent action.
• SDG 14: Life Below Water: The article dedicates a section to marine life, detailing threats from warming oceans, which caused die-offs and altered whale behavior during “The Blob” heatwave. It also highlights the problem of human-generated noise pollution from “shipping and drilling” and the international effort to create a treaty to “curb plastic pollution,” which heavily impacts marine environments.
• SDG 15: Life on Land: This is a central theme, with the article focusing on the use of bioacoustics to monitor terrestrial biodiversity. It provides specific examples of declining bird populations, changes in orangutan calls due to wildfire smoke, and the threat of invasive barred owls to California spotted owls, all of which relate to protecting and restoring terrestrial ecosystems and halting biodiversity loss.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The article illustrates the vulnerability of communities to climate-related disasters. It describes how Hurricane Helene “wreaked havoc in small towns across the South, including Asheville,” and how the 2023 wildfires “devastated much of this idyllic, tropical town” of Lahaina, Hawaii, destroying homes, businesses, and infrastructure.
• SDG 4: Quality Education: A section in the article directly addresses education by citing a report that found “heat exposure disrupts cognitive performance, reducing memory and attention” among students, thereby threatening the quality and effectiveness of learning environments.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The article explicitly connects climate impacts to social inequality. It states that heat-related learning loss is “more prevalent for Black, Latino and low-income students” due to “cooling infrastructure disparities,” highlighting how climate change disproportionately affects vulnerable populations.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: The mention of the “sixth round of global plastic negotiations” to establish a treaty to “curb plastic pollution” and potentially “reduce plastic production” directly relates to managing waste and changing patterns of consumption and production.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. The article’s focus on the “pervasive loss of acoustic diversity and intensity of soundscapes” as a reflection of declining “species abundance and richness” directly addresses this target. The efforts to protect the threatened California spotted owl also align with this.
• Target 15.8: By 2020, introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species. The successful program to detect and “remove the barred owls” from the Sierra Nevada to protect the native spotted owl population is a direct example of actions toward this target.
• Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution. The article’s mention of the global negotiations for a treaty to “curb plastic pollution” is a key policy action aimed at this target. The issue of noise pollution from “shipping and drilling” also falls under this target.
• Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts. The article’s description of the “widespread die-offs of marine creatures and seabirds” caused by “The Blob” marine heatwave underscores the importance of protecting these ecosystems from climate-related shocks.
• Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The devastation in Lahaina, described as a “stark reminder of the perils of life on a planet that is warming so rapidly,” and the slow recovery of Asheville after Hurricane Helene, both demonstrate the challenges and critical need for improved resilience, as outlined in this target.
• Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters. The article highlights the economic impact of disasters, noting that in Asheville, “many businesses have not yet reopened” and “tourist numbers remain lower,” which directly relates to the economic losses this target aims to reduce.
• Target 4.a: Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all. The article points to “cooling infrastructure disparities” as a key reason for unequal learning loss due to heat, implying a direct need to upgrade school facilities to make them safe and effective learning environments in a warming climate.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Acoustic Diversity and Soundscape Intensity: The article mentions a study that analyzed “soundscapes from more than 200,000 sites” and found a “pervasive loss of acoustic diversity and intensity.” This bioacoustic data serves as a direct indicator for biodiversity loss (Target 15.5).
• Changes in Animal Vocalizations: Specific changes, such as the “pitch and harshness of orangutan calls” or blue and humpback whales that “sang less than average,” are used as indicators of environmental stress on species and ecosystems (Targets 15.5 and 14.2).
• Population Data of Invasive vs. Native Species: The article describes how researchers “noticed a stark uptick in calls” from the invasive barred owl. Monitoring the number and distribution of calls from invasive and native species is a clear indicator for measuring the impact of invasive species and the success of removal programs (Target 15.8).
• Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies: The measurement of ocean temperatures rising “more than 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit above average” during “The Blob” is a key indicator of marine heatwaves, which impact marine ecosystems (Target 14.2).
• Disparities in Educational Performance: The finding that specific student groups “experience up to four times more heat-fueled learning loss” is a quantifiable indicator used to measure the unequal impacts of climate change on education (Targets 4.a and 10.2).
• Rate of Economic Recovery Post-Disaster: The observation that in Asheville, “nearly 10 months after the hurricane hit, many businesses have not yet reopened” serves as an indicator of a community’s economic resilience and the severity of disaster impacts (Target 11.5).
• Development of International Environmental Agreements: The article’s reference to the “sixth round of global plastic negotiations” to “hammer out a treaty” is a policy-based indicator of international cooperation to address marine pollution (Target 14.1).

SDGs, Targets and Indicators

Source: insideclimatenews.org