Effects of Forest on Birdsong and Human Acoustic Perception in Urban Parks: A Case Study in Nigeria

Abstract

The quality of the natural sound environment is important for the well-being of humans and for urban sustainability. Therefore, it is important to study how the soundscape of the natural environment affects humans with respect to the different densities of vegetation, and how this affects the frequency of singing events and the sound pressure levels of common birds that generate natural sounds in a commonly visited urban park in Abuja, Nigeria. This study involves the recording of birdsongs, the measurement of sound pressure levels, and a questionnaire evaluation of sound perception and the degree of acoustic comfort in the park. Acoustic comfort, which affects humans, describes the fundamental feelings of users towards the acoustic environment. The results show that first, there is a significant difference between the frequency of singing events of birds for each category of vegetation density (low, medium, and high density) under cloudy and sunny weather conditions, but there is no significant difference during rainy weather. Secondly, the measured sound pressure levels of the birdsongs are affected by vegetation density. This study shows a significant difference between the sound pressure levels of birdsongs and the vegetation density under cloudy, sunny, and rainy weather conditions. In addition, the frequency of singing events of birds is affected by the sound pressure levels of birdsongs with respect to different vegetation densities under different weather conditions. Thirdly, the results from the respondents (N = 160) in this study indicated that the acoustic perception of the park was described as being pleasant, vibrant, eventful, calming, and not considered to be chaotic or annoying in any sense. It also shows that the human perception of birdsong in the park was moderately to strongly correlated with different densities of vegetation, and that demographics play an important role in how natural sounds are perceived in the environment under different weather conditions.

Study on the Comprehensive Health Effects of Coastal Green Areas in Qingdao City, China

“…The envelopment of vegetation reduces the influence of coastal tidal winds, facilitating the rapid settling of airborne particles. The physical and chemical properties of vegetation, including leaves and stems, accelerate the adhesion of airborne particles, resulting in lower concentrations of airborne particles in closed and partially enclosed spaces [48]. Moreover, existing research suggests a correlation between vegetation density and noise attenuation [49].…”

Soundscape in Urban Forests

“…They found that the power spectral density (PSD) and the soundscape diversity index (SDI) of the park were greatly affected by public recreation behaviors. Nwankwo et al [16] explored how the soundscape of the natural environment could affect humans with respect to the different densities of vegetation, as well as the frequency of singing events and the sound pressure levels of common birds that generate natural sounds in a commonly visited urban park. Chen et al [17] explored the spatial dependency of the soundscapes in Kulangsu, based on the spatiotemporal dynamics of soundscape and landscape perceptions.…”

Evaluation of Soundscape Perception in Urban Forests Using Acoustic Indices: A Case Study in Beijing

“…The perception of soundscapes is closely related to the characteristics of the environment, time, and space in which people live [17][18][19]. Urban forest parks are usually Forests 2023, 14, 1435 2 of 13 natural spaces adjacent to cities and connected to residential areas [20,21].…”