Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Conflicts exist between the different strategies to preserve nature and associated
values and at the same time to create all the necessary facilities to allow visitors to
enjoy the aesthetics and beauty of park landscapes.
The National Parks try to find a trade-off between conservation of natural
resources and limiting the impact of visitors. Within natural resources, the
soundscape represents an important issue linked to the human concept of a quiet
site, but with increased numbers of visitors in a park involuntary anthropogenic
noise is introduced. Limiting the “audibility” of inappropriate sounds seems the
major mission in conserving the wilderness of parks. The concept of audibility
should be considered not only from a human point of view but also from the
animals' point of view, and the threshold of audibility could be quite different
and difficult to assess species by species.
In conclusion, sonic complexity in protected areas is an indicator of animal
richness and habitat intactness, and this complexity is a strategic goal to pursue with
priority.
The sustainable management of such areas requires the conservation of all the
sonic attributes of the landscapes to guarantee the best functioning of ecological
processes at the population, community, and ecosystem level.
The guidelines to preserve the sonic complexity in protected areas provide
specific actions:
1. The reduction of anthropogenic sound intrusion
2. The reduction of every manmade disturbance that can fragment the habitats,
reducing their extent
3. The reduction of motorized vehicle intrusions crossing the core areas
4. Reduction of airflights (commercial or touristic) in the perimeter of protected
areas
5. The prevention of every pollutant
6. The education of visitors to respect the tranquility and the hot spots
10.8 Soundscape Protection in National Parks
Human noise can produce substantial changes in wildlife behavior in breeding and
species success. The impact of noise on park visitors is an important issue to be
addressed for every policy in natural areas.
Reconnaissance of the sonic quality of natural areas has introduced, for a long
time, rules in the management of natural parks and protected areas, such as the
Executive Order 10092 “establishing an Airspace Reservation Over Certain Areas
of the Superior National Forest in Minnesota, US” signed by President Truman on
December 17, 1949.
The natural sounds are considered by the National Park Service (NPS) Organic
Act inherent components of “the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the
wild life.”
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