Soundscapes for All – HEAD Genuit Foundation funds an interdisciplinary research project

In November 2025, the three-year collaborative project “Soundscapes for All” between EURAC Research, the University of Trento and University College London, funded by the HEAD-Genuit Foundation, will start.

This interdisciplinary project aims to develop an integrated framework combining human-centered soundscape methodologies with bioacoustic and ecoacoustic approaches. While the ISO 12913-1 standard defines soundscape as the acoustic environment as perceived by individuals in context, alternative use of the term from bioacoustics and ecoacoustics emphasize non-human sound sources, such as biophony and geophony. These separate tracks tackle the analyses of complex acoustic environments in different ways, missing out on the potential of synergy.

Bridging these fields could enhance the understanding of soundscapes, particularly in natural environments, where sound contributes to both human well-being and biodiversity assessments. “Soundscape for All” focuses on the Italian Alps, leveraging ongoing biodiversity monitoring, human soundscape research, and state-of-the-art audiovisual testing facilities at University College London. Key objectives include assessing how psychoacoustic indices inform biodiversity insights, exploring how bioacoustic measures complement ISO/TS 12913-2 methods in visitor perception studies, and developing a unified framework for characterizing human and non-human soundscapes.

The expected outcome is a globally applicable framework enhancing the characterization of soundscapes for human and ecological well-being in natural areas.