How to mitigate ecological noise pollution: testing from a field-based manipulative experiment.

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K20001
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 64040:Social-ecological systems-related
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Senzaki Masayuki 北海道大学, 地球環境科学研究院, 准教授 (10845514)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 騒音汚染 / 鳥類群集 / 生物多様性 / ロードエコロジー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A growing body of research has demonstrated anthropogenic noise pollution to have severe impacts on biodiversity. However, we know little about how noise pollution alters the structures of ecological communities and what mitigation measures can reduce those impacts. Here we address these gaps with a field-based manipulation (phantom road experiment) on avian communities. We compared the responses of bird abundance and species richness to normal noise playback and reduced noise playback by a mitigation measure (low-noise pavement). We found noise exposure, irrespective of the implementation of the mitigation, resulted in reduced abundance and species richness. We also found the abundance recovered a bit under noise pollution with the mitigation measure relative to that without it, suggesting that noise mitigation on roadways may be effective for biodiversity conservation to a certain degree. Future research needs to address more effective ways to mitigate ecological impacts of noise.

Free Research Field

保全生態学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

今日、効果的な生物多様性保全の実行は、社会共通の喫緊の課題である。騒音汚染は近年、生物多様性保全上の重大脅威であると認識されている。本研究では、鳥類群集に対する自動車騒音の影響を定量化し、騒音緩和策（低騒音舗装）の実施が鳥類群集への騒音影響をどの程度低減するかを初めて検証した。その結果、自動車騒音は鳥類群集に悪影響し、低騒音舗装の実施はその影響をわずかに緩和することが分かった。一方、今回示された騒音緩和策による鳥類群集音の騒音影響低減効果はそこまで大きくないことから、今後はより効果的な生物多様性保全上の騒音緩和策を模索する必要があることが分かった。