MICHEL ANDRE, FRANCE:
ESTABLISH AN ACOUSTIC NETWORK TO MONITOR NATURE AROUND THE PLANET
A sharp increase in collisions between passenger ferries and sperm whales in the Canary Islands led bioacoustics scientist Michel André to an alarming discovery: the whales were going deaf and could not avoid the ships. The cause of their deafness, he concluded, was the rising tumult of human-generated sound in the world’s oceans. Indeed, the increase in shipping, geological exploration, naval sonar and construction have all amplified noise in a realm where sound travels four times faster than in the air.
In 2002, André received a Rolex Award for Enterprise to help him develop an undersea listening system to warn ship captains of whales crossing their path. These early experiments have grown into a network of acoustic monitors that encircles the planet. Today he is an acclaimed pioneer in a new field of science: bioacoustics, the art and technology of listening to nature and understanding what it tells us about its health and well-being.
André has established throughout the world’s oceans a network of listening devices that provides constant surveillance of the sounds generated by humans, wildlife and geological events. Thanks to this network, it is possible to understand the impact human noise pollution is having on sound-dependent marine life, and on the overall health of the oceans. Similarly, he is working with the team set up by the late José Márcio Ayres, a fellow 2002 Rolex Awards Laureate, to establish a network of listening devices in the Amazonian rainforest to carry out the important task of monitoring its biodiversity.
By 2025, he aims to have the entire Amazon region covered. Satellites, he says, can see trees being felled but they cannot detect changes in the life of the forest. Sound can, however. A key challenge is to design acoustic instruments sturdy enough to cope with the harshest conditions and that can keep transmitting their vital information without the need for technical support.
By listening carefully, the French scientist hopes we can counter these threats to life on Earth, understand the effect human actions are having on the wild world and take timely steps to prevent them.
WE NEED TO LISTEN TO NATURE. TECHNOLOGY HAS GIVEN US THIS CAPACITY BUT WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY. WE CANNOT JUST LISTEN AND IGNORE WHAT IS GOING ON. WE NEED TO LISTEN AND WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF THE PLANET
—MICHEL ANDRE