Along with all other hands of pollution, sound pollution has been a vastly affecting fact which causes massive degradation of nature and its surroundings. For decades, noise pollution has dominated over human development with its destroying efforts. And this harmful monster also seems to take over the protected zones which are supposed to be highly conservated for the natural resources surviving in these areas.
A study has revealed that the harsh reality of noise pollution caused by human activities has doubled the level of sound in more than half of the total number of such protected zones in the United States, including nature reserves, national parks. Such protected areas, which collectively account to be around 14 percent of the total land of the country has statistically developed about 10 times louder range of noises within just a last few years.
According to Earth, Rachel Buxton, a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at Colorado State University along with his team of researchers have found out that a ten-fold or even greater noise pollution ranged throughout 21 percent of the protected zones. For the proper evaluation of their study, they analysed and measured millions of hours of sound generated via various mediums throughout 492 selected sites in the country and the continental parts of the US. After going through an enlarged and detailed observation, they found out that the noise generated by human activities doubled the background noise in 63 percent of such protected zones.
Simultaneously, this noise pollution harmed decreased the areas marked with natural sounds by about 50 to 90 percent. Buxton further stated that this massive noise pollution has been majorly caused by vehicle-based sounds, transport noises, airlines etc. by also adding that natural habitats: ancient & endangered plants and insects, in particular, are more likely to be affected. Science Mag Pointed out her thoughts on it: "Although plants can't hear, many animals that disperse seeds or pollinate flowers can hear, and are known to be affected by noise, resulting in indirect impacts on plants."
Although, some national parks have already taken more protective measures to get rid of noise pollution by establishing silence zones and providing their very own noiseless shuttle services throughout their areas. Other natural reserves are also expected to take similar steps. Buxton also hoped that this study may improve more ways to safeguard the society from the harmful clutch of noise pollution.
