Effects of Soundscapes on Human Physiology and Psychology in Qianjiangyuan National Park System Pilot Area in China

Abstract

The development of China’s national parks is still in the initial stage, and few scholars have studied the effects of soundscapes on human physiology and psychology from the perspective of the auditory senses in national parks. In this study, the Qianjiangyuan National Park System Pilot Area was taken as the research subject, physiological indicators of subjects were collected through a biopAC-MP150 multi-channel physiological instrument data platform, and the subjective psychological response of soundscapes was measured using a Likert scale. The results showed that the sound of water had the most significant effect on the heart rate and respiratory rate of the subjects. Agricultural sound had the greatest impact on the skin conduction levels, while conversation had the least overall impact on human physiology. There were significant differences in comfort, excitement, and significance among the different soundscapes (p < 0.001). The sounds of insects are more likely to elicit feelings of comfort and excitement, while the sounds of birds are more likely to arouse curiosity. No significant correlation was observed between the physiological indices and psychological indices. The study on the effects of different soundscapes on human physiology and psychology in China’s national parks will provide a basis for the decision makers of national parks to formulate more effective planning, design, and management policies regarding soundscapes.

The Status of Wildlife Damage Compensation in China

“…Wildlife damage in China refers mainly to (1) damage to local (subsistence) and cash (commercial) crops, stored food, timber, or personal property; (2) threats to human health and safety via disease transmission or direct impact, (3) threats to the safety and welfare of livestock through predation and/or disease transmission, and (4) general nuisances caused by the noise or other activities of wild animals [12,50]. Three reasons for the recent increase in wildlife damage cases in China were proposed: (1) China made considerable progress in the conservation of its biological diversity, resulting in the sustained protection of wildlife and the expansion of its ranges and activities, while at the same time poaching, i.e., the illegal hunting of wildlife, became less prominent [27].…”

“…In China wildlife damage compensation requests are usually directed towards the local or district governments and their liable departments, entitled to provide economic alleviations in accordance with regional laws and regulations [12,55,64,65]. Wildlife damage victims are individuals or organizations suffering personal or property damage and are therefore eligible to file requests for compensation.…”

“…Human-wildlife conflicts have become a globally recognized problem mainly due to crop damage, predation on domestic livestock, or attacks on humans and their property [2][3][4][5]. To date, human-wildlife conflicts have come to be considered a significant threat to both biodiversity conservation and the economic growth of local communities [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. One approach-among others (i.e., lethal control [8,13,14] or nonlethal or preventive control:…”

Exploring the role of soundscape in restorative experience: A pilot study from children’s perspective

“…However, existing studies of contexts in the soundscape field have mainly focused on the association of people and sound under a specific space and time. In particular, soundscapes in natural public spaces, such as rehabilitation gardens ( Cerwén et al, 2016 ), urban parks ( Zhang et al, 2019b ), national parks ( Wang et al, 2022 ), green spaces ( Uebel et al, 2021 ), cemeteries ( Nordh et al, 2017 ), and blue spaces ( Liu et al, 2022 ), have received the most attention because they offer city dwellers a quiet environment to withdraw from urban noise and provide natural soundscape resources. As people spend most of their time indoors, the restorative benefits of natural sounds in indoor environments (e.g., offices, school classrooms, and hospitals) have received increasing research attention in recent years ( Jahncke and Halin, 2012 ; Watts et al, 2016 ).…”

The Physiological Restorative Role of Soundscape in Different Forest Structures

“…This public demand contributes to an important effect for public health and work efficiency, and thus the public pays increasing attention to this issue [2,3]. Fortunately, urban forested areas, which are an important part of the urban green infrastructure, are natural places that provide relaxation, entertainment and perceived restoration to the public [4][5][6]. Furthermore, forest landscapes contribute ecosystem services to the public [7].…”