Dataset Information

The phantom chorus: birdsong boosts human well-being in protected areas.

ABSTRACT: Spending time in nature is known to benefit human health and well-being, but evidence is mixed as to whether biodiversity or perceptions of biodiversity contribute to these benefits. Perhaps more importantly, little is known about the sensory modalities by which humans perceive biodiversity and obtain benefits from their interactions with nature. Here, we used a 'phantom birdsong chorus' consisting of hidden speakers to experimentally increase audible birdsong biodiversity during 'on' and 'off' (i.e. ambient conditions) blocks on two trails to study the role of audition in biodiversity perception and self-reported well-being among hikers. Hikers exposed to the phantom chorus reported higher levels of restorative effects compared to those that experienced ambient conditions on both trails; however, increased restorative effects were directly linked to the phantom chorus on one trail and indirectly linked to the phantom chorus on the other trail through perceptions of avian biodiversity. Our findings add to a growing body of evidence linking mental health to nature experiences and suggest that audition is an important modality by which natural environments confer restorative effects. Finally, our results suggest that maintaining or improving natural soundscapes within protected areas may be an important component to maximizing human experiences.

SUBMITTER: Ferraro DM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7779501 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The phantom chorus: birdsong boosts human well-being in protected areas.

Ferraro Danielle M DM Miller Zachary D ZD Ferguson Lauren A LA Taff B Derrick BD Barber Jesse R JR Newman Peter P Francis Clinton D CD

Proceedings. Biological sciences 20201216 1941

Spending time in nature is known to benefit human health and well-being, but evidence is mixed as to whether biodiversity or perceptions of biodiversity contribute to these benefits. Perhaps more importantly, little is known about the sensory modalities by which humans perceive biodiversity and obtain benefits from their interactions with nature. Here, we used a 'phantom birdsong chorus' consisting of hidden speakers to experimentally increase audible birdsong biodiversity during 'on' and 'off' ...[more]

PMID: 33323075

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Project description:Protected areas (PAs) are the main instrument for biodiversity conservation, which has triggered the development of numerous indicators and assessments on their coverage, performance and efficiency. The connectivity of the PA networks at a global scale has however been much less explored; previous studies have either focused on particular regions of the world or have only considered some types of PAs. Here we present, and globally assess, ProtConn, an indicator of PA connectivity that (i) quantifies the percentage of a study region covered by protected connected lands, (ii) can be partitioned in several components depicting different categories of land (unprotected, protected or transboundary) through which movement between protected locations may occur, (iii) is easy to communicate, to compare with PA coverage and to use in the assessment of global targets for PA systems. We apply ProtConn to evaluate the connectivity of the PA networks in all terrestrial ecoregions of the world as of June 2016, considering a range of median dispersal distances (1-100 km) encompassing the dispersal abilities of the large majority of terrestrial vertebrates. We found that 9.3% of the world is covered by protected connected lands (average for all the world's ecoregions) for a reference dispersal distance of 10 km, increasing up to 11.7% for the largest dispersal distance considered of 100 km. These percentages are considerably smaller than the global PA coverage of 14.7%, indicating that the spatial arrangement of PAs is only partially successful in ensuring connectivity of protected lands. The connectivity of PAs largely differed across ecoregions. Only about a third of the world's ecoregions currently meet the Aichi Target of having 17% of the terrestrial realm covered by well-connected systems of PAs. Finally, our findings suggest that PAs with less strict management objectives (allowing the sustainable use of resources) may play a fundamental role in upholding the connectivity of the PA systems. Our analyses and indicator make it possible to identify where on the globe additional efforts are most needed in expanding or reinforcing the connectivity of PA systems, and can be also used to assess whether newly designated sites provide effective connectivity gains in the PA system by acting as corridors or stepping stones between other PAs. The results of the ProtConn indicator are available, together with a suite of other global PA indicators, in the Digital Observatory for Protected Areas of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.

Project description:ImportanceBurnout among physicians is high, with resulting concern about quality of care. With burnout beginning early in physician training, much-needed data are lacking on interventions to decrease burnout and improve well-being among resident physicians.ObjectivesTo design a departmental-level burnout intervention, evaluate its association with otolaryngology residents' burnout and well-being, and describe how residents used and perceived the study intervention.Design, setting, and participantsA prospective, nonrandomized crossover study was conducted from September 25, 2017, to June 24, 2018, among all 19 current residents in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Minnesota. Statistical analysis was performed from June 28 to August 7, 2018.InterventionsAll participants were assigned 2 hours per week of protected nonclinical time alternating with a control period of no intervention at 6-week intervals.Main outcomes and measuresBurnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory and Mini-Z Survey. Well-being was measured by the Resident and Fellow Well-Being Index and a quality-of-life single-item self-assessment. In addition to a baseline demographic survey, participants completed the aforementioned surveys at approximately 6-week intervals during the study period.ResultsAmong the 19 residents in the study (10 men [53%]), the overall protected time intervention (week 0 to week 32) was associated with a mean decrease of 0.63 points (95% CI, -1.03 to -0.22 points) in the Maslach Burnout Inventory emotional exhaustion score, indicating a clinically meaningful decrease in burnout, and a mean decrease of 1.26 points (95% CI, -2.18 to -0.34 points) in the Resident and Fellow Well-Being Index score, indicating a clinically meaningful improvement in well-being. The baseline to week 32 mean changes in the Maslach Burnout Inventory depersonalization score, Maslach Burnout Inventory personal accomplishment score, and quality-of-life single-item self-assessment were not clinically meaningful. There were clinically meaningful improvements in 4 of 6 tested Mini-Z Questionnaire items from baseline to week 32: job stress (weighted κ statistic, 0.21; 95% CI, -0.11 to 0.53), burnout (weighted κ statistic, 0.25; 95% CI, -0.02 to 0.53), control over workload (weighted κ statistic, 0.26; 95% CI, -0.01 to 0.53), and sufficient time for documentation (weighted κ statistic, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.54).Conclusions and relevanceThis study found that 2 hours per week of protected nonclinical time was associated with decreased burnout and increased well-being in a small sample of otolaryngology residents. Future randomized clinical studies in larger cohorts are warranted to infer causality of decreased burnout and increased well-being as a result of protected nonclinical time.

Dataset Information

The phantom chorus: birdsong boosts human well-being in protected areas.

Publications

The phantom chorus: birdsong boosts human well-being in protected areas.

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