This paper discusses the importance of the ‘paleo- soundscapes’ of remote natural habitats as unique footprints of the systemic behaviour of healthy ecosystems and proposes considering them as intangible heritage to be urgently recorded and preserved. The interdisciplinary project Fragments of Extinction has worked toward preserving that ecological heritage through multidimensional sound recording eldwork in primary equatorial rainforests since 2002. The soundscapes of these unique, untouched and undisturbed places – increasingly threatened by human pressure and climate change – represent an object of patrimonialization that can offer insights to a range of fields. The project seeks to merge science (eco acoustics), technology (3D sound recording and reproduction) and art (environmental sound art) to contribute to the preservation of examples of the ordered and fragile equilibrium of biodiversity, and to encourage ecological awareness among audiences.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18146/soima2015.3.12
This article is part of the book ‘SOIMA: Unlocking Sound and Image Heritage‘