Soundscape recordings retain valuable characteristics which clearly go beyond the value of observational data and carry information that can be best used if organized within a framework.
Soundscape recordings should be seen as part of a region’s scientific and cultural heritage holding information that may allow for a better understanding not only of biological processes but also of society, and the development of the urbis.
Marques, P. A. M. & C. B. De Araújo 2014. The Need to Document and Preserve Natural Soundscape Recordings as Acoustic Memories. Proceedings of Invisible Places.
The preservation of historical and contemporary data safeguards our scientific legacy. Bioacoustic recordings can have historical as well as scientific value and should be assessed for their conservation requirements. Unpreserved bioacoustics recordings are generally not referenced and are frequently at high risk of loss by material degradation and/or by misplacement. In this study we investigated the preservation status of sets of natural sound recordings made in Portugal from 1983 until 2010 inclusive.
We evaluated the recordings on the basis of their rate of loss, the degree to which unpreserved recordings could be preserved, and their risk of loss.
Marques, P. A. M., D. M. Magalhães, S. F. Pereira, P. E. Jorge 2014. From the past to the future: natural sound recordings and the preservation of the bioacoustics legacy in Portugal. PLoS ONE. 9(12): e114303. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0114303