The Borneo Soundscape Project is a collaborative effort between researchers, conservationists, and tree-climbers from North America and Borneo. With expertise in wildlife biology, conservation, sound-recording, and tree climbing, we map the sounds of the rainforest from the ground and the canopy. Recordings are made simultaneously from the canopy and the forest floor and are mapped and compared. This innovative and groundbreaking work that will yield new information rainforest canopies and new insights in the field of bioacoustics. We began this project in 2011 in disturbed rainforest if Sarawak, East Malaysia (see: http://borneanbirdconservation.org/). Now we are ready to launch this work in the tallest and most pristine rainforests and we need your help!
Bornean rainforests: an incredibly diverse and poorly understood treasure. The rainforests of Borneo are among the most species-rich habitats in the world. Listening to the sounds of these forests is an incredible and overwhelming experience as gibbons, hornbills, tree frogs, cicadas, and hundreds of other species advertise their presence. Our mission is to record and map these sounds while we still can.
The forests of Borneo are under incredible human pressure. The giant dipterocarp trees that form much of the canopy are extremely valuable timber for furniture and other uses worldwide, and logged-over native forests are increasingly being converted to tree plantation and oil palm as the world demand for pulp wood and palm oil increases.
Mapping and recording sounds of the rainforest. We begin this effort in pristine rainforest, where the ecosystem is still intact. The sounds that we record and map will serve as important reference information for many rarely seen species inhabiting rainforest thickets and canopies. The information we collect will inform us about animals in healthy rainforests, and will serve as an important starting point for understanding the role of animal communication in this ecosystem. Recent research has shown that habitat alteration can dramatically influence an animal’s ability to communicate with others of its kind to find mates, warn others of predators, and maintain contact with young.
Specifics. Our efforts will begin at Tawau Hills Park in Sabah, East Malaysia (Borneo). Tawau Hills Park is a 30,000 ha reserve of rainforest in southeastern Sabah. It is a rare remnant of old Bornean forest and home to the tallest tropical trees in the world: an ideal site for gathering information on species in a pristine habitat. We have already recorded a series of sounds within the park; from the ground. Our next effort is to sample the canopy. With trees reaching heights of nearly 90 meters (that is nearly 300 feet!), the sounds from the canopy are certainly different from those we hear on the ground. With a team of experienced climbers and recordists, we will ascend to the canopy at sites throughout the park to record. Each canopy recording will be paired with a recording from the ground for comparison and mapped using a GPS unit and GIS. Ultimately, we aim to produce a map of rainforest sounds that would be widely available in programs such as Google Earth and OpenLayers. All of our work is conducted in collaboration with local scientists and conservationists in Borneo and our team will include people from the US and Malaysia.
Tangibles. The sounds we record will be identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible and uploaded to borneanbirdconservation.org and other sound-sharing sites such as xeno-canto.org. The information we collect will also be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and presented at professional conferences and to the general public.
Our goal in making the sounds freely available online is to engage others with interests in the animals of the Bornean rainforests as well as the music that they make. Much of the animal life in Borneo is poorly understood. By encouraging information-sharing we hope to gain a better understanding of Bornean rainforest animals and how to conserve them.
Where your money will go. Funds for this project will pay for equipment, travel, and living expenses for a month-long expedition to Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, East Malaysia (Borneo). A team of four researchers with expertise in sound recording and tree-climbing will work with conservationists, and biologists in Tawau. Your money will fund travel expenses to Tawau, and living expenses during field work. To ensure safe tree-climbing, we also need some funds for a few new pieces of climbing gear (it's time to retire some of our older and more heavily used stuff!).
What you will get.
In return for your support, will offer some rewards. Our intention with these rewards is to share the experience of being in the Bornean rainforest. It's a feeling that is hard to describe and the sounds are perhaps the most important component of this experience. This experience will be something unique and not available freely. Please refer to our rewards section for more information.
Other Ways You Can Help
Tell others! Let anyone who you think might be interested in our work know about it. It's through this type of support that this project will succeed!