Lost Songs of Nature

Description

This is an invitation to listen, to discover and rediscover the planet’s ecosystems—its forests, marshes, swamps, bogs and shorelines.

An unapologetic plea to save nature’s symphony. Man-made noise is increasing dramatically, encroaching on even the wildest of natural habitats. Thrushes are falling silent and the gentle murmur of a mountain stream is being swallowed by the sounds of road traffic. Up in the boreal forest, wolverines cease their growling when logging truck convoys head for the sawmills. The symphony of life is shrinking, losing texture and richness at the same rate humans are laying claim to the land around them. We are in the throes of a bioacoustic erosion that is alarming biologists around the world. Will an increase in noise pollution herald complete anthropophony—a world that is deaf to the sounds of nature?

Translated from the French by Jennifer Strachan

Praise for Les chants perdus de la nature

“Through in-depth research and an accessible style, the author guides us along the paths of bioacoustics, a field that is increasingly studied, but which finds its first literary expression here in Quebec. Just like in his best-selling book Paroles d’un bouleau jaune, Michel Leboeuf makes us aware of the power of Nature and its deep connection with humans.” – Vivre à la campagne