At a glance
- Join us in a groundbreaking study of how noise pollution affects insects.
- Record insect sounds near your local roads and help us train an algorithm to identify them.
- Learn about the nature on your doorstep and how to make it thrive.
Join our mass community science project investigating the impact of noise pollution on insects near roads.
Be a part of this acoustic adventure and find out how we can make roads better for nature.
What’s it about?
Insects are important for a healthy environment, but noise can make it hard for them to communicate with each other. They may have to change their sounds to be heard in noisy places.
Join us on the Nature Overheard survey, collecting data to better understand how road noise affect insects. Or take part in other activities to support this research while you build your own scientific skills and knowledge.
Contact us
If you have specific questions, you can email the Nature Overheard team at: communityscience@nhm.ac.uk
Sign up to our community science mailing list keep to hear news about this and other projects.
Ways to take part
Join us in deciphering audio recordings!
Listen to audio clips recorded during the Nature Overheard Survey, and decipher the sounds. Can you tell the chatter of animals from the hum of vehicles or the sounds made by humans?
The Nature Overheard Survey
We need your ears and eyes to record the sounds and sights of nature along UK roads.
How well do you know your local wildlife?
Are you an informed intentifier or a nature newbie? Test your knowledge of the amazing animals and plants that live near you with our fun and challenging quizzes.
How this work can help insects
Until now, we have not been able to investigate on a large scale how noise affects insects. But new technology makes studying this problem easier. Audio recordings can be analysed using artificial intelligence and machine learning, allowing us to:
- Automate the categorisation of sounds
- Identify any changes in the sounds that insects and other animals are making in urban areas
- Determine which human and mechanical sounds may be having an impact on the environment
Collecting as many audio samples as possible is important: the more data that is collected, the easier it becomes to analyse the recordings.
Although decoding audio recordings is difficult, the more we have the easier it becomes.
Ed Baker
Museum scientist
Co-created with school students
To stimulate positive action and investigate nature in urban environments, we asked students across the country aged 11-14 to propose research questions that interested them.
Nature Overheard's overall theme emerged from these questions. Then months of further collaboration between school students and Museum scientists shaped the project's planned activities.
Data from the project is being stored in our new Data Ecosystem, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Keep updated on the project
Do you want to know more about the project and keep up to date on its progress? Then please sign up to our Community Science team's newsletter.
Project team
This project was co-designed by young people and Museum scientists. The following members of Museum staff lead its delivery:
- Ed Baker, Acoustic Biology Researcher
- Giuliana Sinclair, Community Science Officer
- Dr Jessica Wardlaw, Community Science Programme Developer
- Fareeda Atwan, National Learning Programmes Partnerships Manager
- Victoria Thomson, Communications Manager
- Freya Stannard, Head of National Programmes
- Lucy Robinson, Community Science Programme Manager
Related pages
-
British wildlifeWhy road verges are important habitats for wildflowers and animals
They cover an enormous area of the UK and are home to many rare and declining wild plants, insects, amphibians and more.
-
British wildlifeThe insect orchestra: From meadow melodies to riverside rhapsodies
Who's hitting the high notes in the insect orchestra? Despite their small size, they sure know how to make themselves heard.
-
Science newsNoisy neighbours: Listening in to nature in cities and towns
Urban soundtracks allow us to listen in to wildlife, from calling birds and shouting foxes to chirping insects and quiet worms.
12 May 2023 -
Nature Recording Hub
Discover how to record and share your wildlife observations. Learn from experts, join UK monitoring schemes and contribute to biodiversity research.
Funding
Nature Overheard is part of the Urban Nature Project. We thank all those who have generously contributed, including:
