In search of the off-key note. Ecoacoustics for the management of Castenedolo’s Plain Forest

Ecoacoustics is an interdisciplinary science, derived from bioacoustics and ecology, very close to soundscape ecology. Ecoacoustics investigates natural and anthropogenic sounds and their relationship with the environment over a wide range of study scale, as spatial and temporal, at individual, community and population level. Infact, the audible is an integral part of the environment and an important source of ecological informations.

We will compare the current situation of the Castenedolo’s forest with the more mature forest of Bosco Fontana State Nature Reserve, which represents the most preserved and natural plain forest in northern Italy. The Castenedolo’s forest will be divide into habitat gradients corresponding to the forest age of different sectors. The ecoacoustic surveys will be carried out in both of sites in spring and summer.

By comparing their eco-acoustic richness, information will be drawn to assess the state of evolution of the various sectors of Castenedolo. The results will tell which and how many are currently "out of note", i.e. which faunal components, due to allochtony or ecological eclecticism, have taken possession of the area to the detriment of those components that would favour the desired course.