STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING NATURAL SOUNDS FOR HUMAN EXPERIENCE AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
Open Access
Author:
Ferguson, Lauren Abbott
Graduate Program:
Recreation, Park and Tourism Management
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
July 06, 2018
Committee Members:
Peter B Newman, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor Peter B Newman, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Brendan Derrick Taff, Committee Member Andrew Justin Mowen, Committee Member Justine I Blanford, Outside Member
Keywords:
Natural sound ecosystem services park management noise pollution soundscapes
Abstract:
A large body of evidence suggests that there are benefits from natural sound exposure to human wellbeing. Conversely, man-made noise, from transportation and urbanization, has damaging effects on overall health measures. Large cities and urban areas are expected to be highly impacted by elevated levels of noise, however National Parks, places where one would expect to find quiet, are also at risk for noise pollution. Park managers are mandated to protect natural sounds for the benefits to human experience. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore methods that aim to better understand the impacts of noise on human experiences in National Parks. Data for these studies were collected at two different National Park Service (NPS) sites: Muir Woods National Monument, and Denali National Park and Preserve. In the first chapter of this dissertation, the state of soundscapes research is introduced. Chapters 2 through 4 were written as stand-alone manuscripts that present and discuss study findings. Chapter 5 summarizes the combined results of the three dissertation studies.