SILENCE AS A RESOURCE: Humanity is Changing the Planet’s Soundscape
Jérôme Sueur is a professor at the National Museum of Natural History. / philomag.com
We are familiar with countless «histories» — the history of nations, the history of science, the history of art. But what if someone were to write a history of… silence? This unusual question intrigued Jérôme Sueur, inspiring him to write a book aptly titled The Natural History of Silence. In it, the renowned French entomologist explores how humans have radically transformed the planet’s soundscape.
THE ACOUSTIC NICHE HYPOTHESIS
From early childhood, we are surrounded by various sounds. But not all sounds are the same. There is a distinct difference between the rhythmic mating calls of cicadas, the sound of waves, or the clicking noises produced by coral reefs — natural, unaltered sounds — and the omnipresent hum of human civilization.
Human-generated noise is far from harmless. Often, it drowns out nature’s symphony and disrupts ecosystems. For example, experiments near the island of Moorea in French Polynesia revealed that the noise of a motorboat disorients young corals. Normally, while drifting in open water, they rely on reef sounds to locate a suitable place to settle.
The sounds of the natural world are the product of a long and intricate evolutionary process in which animals develop the ability to send and receive vibrations. By studying how animals create, use, and perceive sound, researchers have formulated the «acoustic niche hypothesis».
This hypothesis suggests that each species occupies a unique acoustic space to enhance communication with its own kind while minimizing sound competition with other species. Evidently, humans once had such a niche as well — until their sonic expansion became global.
A DIFFERENT KIND OF MEDITATION
Silence is a vital resource, as essential as food or water. Thus, the struggle for survival is also a struggle for the right to «sound». Every living thing produces sound — it is an inherent attribute of life. In this sense, humans may perceive themselves as «more alive» than other species simply because their presence is often the loudest.
Birds living along highways are forced to compete with human-made noise to survive. As a result, they start singing louder to be heard over the din of passing traffic. Unfortunately, we often forget that silence itself holds intrinsic value for life.
If we follow the example of naturalist John Muir and poet Walt Whitman, solitude can reveal the profound value of reducing noise. Meditation does not necessarily require deep introspection or silent stillness in a lotus pose.
A naturalist’s meditation can just as well focus on the external world — its sounds, scents, and colors. This kind of connection with nature can also produce a meditative effect.
EVERYONE HAS THEIR OWN UNIQUE UMWELT!
In The Natural History of Silence, Sueur draws readers’ attention to the concept of Umwelt. This German word can be roughly translated as «surrounding world». Its creator, German biologist Jakob von Uexküll, used the term to describe the sensory world unique to each species, shaped by its perception and sensory organs.
Every animal has its own subjective Umwelt — a behavioral space, a meaningful environment. It represents a limited slice of the world that the animal can perceive, defining its way of existing within it.
Not only does each biological species have its own Umwelt, but distinct populations within a species do as well. A human, a bird, and a deer do not inhabit the world as a whole but rather a specific fragment of it.
DISRUPTION OF NATURAL RHYTHMS
A living being perceives only the colors, sounds, and smells that align with the capabilities of its sensory organs, which best support its survival. The constant noise produced by civilization harms the Umwelt, isolating not only animals but also humans from the natural rhythms of the ecosystem.
By disrupting the perception of the world for many species, noise also hinders people’s ability to empathize with others. In this sense, it is not enough to formally declare a territory a protected area.
At the border of France and Switzerland, there is the Risoux Forest, which is a nature reserve. However, every plane flying over it acts as a psychological assault on the Umwelt of the birds living there, causing them significant suffering.
TOXIC ANTHROPOPHONY
Sueur also supplements the concept of Umwelt with the ideas of Bernie Krause. This American musician is one of the pioneers of synthesizer integration into the global music and film industry. Additionally, Krause is a respected bioacoustician and soundscape ecologist who studies and archives the sounds of the natural world.
Krause introduced three crucial terms into the scientific discourse on the «history of silence». He divided soundscapes into «biophony» — the calls and movements of wild animals, «geophony» — the sounds of inanimate nature, such as ocean waves and volcanic eruptions, and «anthropophony» — the sounds produced by humans.
The latter has a toxic effect on natural systems. «Natural silence» occurs when anthropophonic noises are absent, allowing animals to communicate freely with one another and their surroundings.
«SILENT RESERVES»
During the COVID-19 pandemic, noise levels in cities such as Lyon and Grenoble dropped by 60–75%. This sudden decline in human activity had a positive impact on the communication of wild animals worldwide.
Fish and dolphins off the coast of New Zealand expanded their vocal range by 65% due to the sharp decrease in boat traffic. In California, white-crowned sparrows stopped straining their voices — they no longer had to compete with the noise of traffic.
Today, technological noise — from ships, airplanes, cars, and more — penetrates even the most remote corners of the planet. This raises the possibility that, in addition to traditional nature reserves, humanity may need to establish a global network of «silent reserves», where not only land transport but also air and sea traffic would be restricted.
«Shhh!» — this is the only demand Jérôme Sueur makes of humanity. How easily it can fulfill it remains to be seen.
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