Speaker
Pauline Carmel Joy Eje
(ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity)
Description
Organisms interact in a complex system that also involves various cues for intra- and interspecific recognition. Sounds are important signals for recognizing kin, prey as well as predators. In the Philippines, very little is known about the characteristics of sounds in the rainforest, how they vary across landscapes and time, and how species interact acoustically. It is aimed that this research will be able to provide an overview and baseline information on the soundscape structure in a typical rainforest in the Philippines, recognizing the astounding diversity of organisms that simultaneously produce sounds at varying frequency levels. The lack of such baseline information about the sound characteristics of different organisms prevents large-scale analysis at the ecosystem level, and as a result, hindering updated policies to be formed in protected areas. This research aims to describe the acoustic dynamics of different species in Mt. Makiling Forest Reserve. Specifically, we hope to (1) establish an extensive collection of voucher calls to permit identification of species through the sounds/calls that the species produce, (2) provide baseline data on the interaction of different species across different landscape and time, and (3) contribute to the effective management of this ASEAN Heritage park and formulate recommendations on the use of bioacoustics analysis in the management and protection of other protected areas in the Philippines and the ASEAN.
