Indigenous bioacoustics: listening to the land for conservation and tradition

Indigenous-led conservation initiatives are being aided by the growing field of bioacoustics, with many communities around the world creating listening networks that monitor their lands and help them advocate for their conservation.

We speak with two Indigenous leaders and scientists on this episode -- Stephanie Thorassie of the Seal River Watershed Alliance in Manitoba, and Angela Waupochick, a researcher of forested wetlands for Menominee Tribal Enterprises in Wisconsin -- about their projects and how bioacoustics techniques are aiding them. 

We hear sound clips of bears and birds shared by Waupochick and also Jeff Wells of the National Audubon Society, which  partners with the Seal River Watershed Alliance to study the region’s importance to wildlife toward establishing a new, 12-million-acre Indigenous Protected Area.

Further reading:

• ”Indigenous-managed lands found to harbor more biodiversity than protected areas”

• Canada working towards new future for Indigenous-led conservation (Indigenous Protected Areas)

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Episode artwork: Polar bears at the mouth of the Seal River. Photo by Jordan Melograna of the Indigenous Leadership Initiative.   Please share your thoughts and ideas! submissions@mongabay.com.