If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
While we may never know the answer to this philosophical question, we do know that trees and wildlife hear us when we are around, and it stresses them out. An outdoor enthusiast has taken it upon herself to educate others about the effect of noise pollution on nature.
"Who cares about noise pollution?? hint: we all should," the caption of the informational video by TikToker Lennie (@the_happihippi) reads.
@the_happihippi Who cares about noise pollution?? hint: we all should ✨💗🌅 • #lnt #granolagirl #earthday #granolatok #enviornmentalactivist ♬ original sound - noahkahantent
She opens the video by saying that the first time someone told her about noise pollution, she initially dismissed the idea. However, she has since learned the reality of it and how diminishing it is an important part of the "leave no trace" credo.
"Lo and behold, noise pollution is actually a huge problem and a major component of leave no trace, and chances are if I thought it was stupid, there's probably other people out here that don't know about its importance either," Lennie continues.
She goes on to say that responsible recreation means more than staying on the trail and picking up trash found along it. Responsible recreation is "about taking care of the socio-ecological system as a whole," which means leaving the music to Mother Nature.
As detailed in the video, according to One Green Planet, noise pollution can interfere with animal communication, disrupt migration patterns, increase stress, impair animals' ability to locate prey or food sources, disrupt breeding, cause behavioral changes, and impair wildlife's ability to hear predators. Further, underwater noise pollution can disorient marine mammals and disrupt communication, leading to stranding or long-term population decline.
In short, noise pollution can wreak as much havoc on natural ecosystems as trash and air pollution. It's such a problem that people are taking action to ban wind turbines in areas where they can harm wildlife.
"Let me know what your thoughts are about noise pollution while recreating outside," Lennie says at the end of the video, opening up the conversation.
🗣️ Should national parks be allowed to ban visitors for bad behavior?
🔘 YES 👍
🔘 NO 👎
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Users in the comment section were more than happy to do so.
"So informative and I've always wondered what the real impacts of noise pollution are, thanks for sharing!!" one said.
"Wow I had no clue!!" another added. "Thanks for the info, I always had a speaker on my hikes so this was super educational."
A third said: "If you listen when planes fly over, every animal around gets really quiet and stressed. I've been noticing it more and more every year up in the mountains."
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