RIVER LISTENING: ACOUSTIC ECOLOGY adopts an acoustic ecology approach by exploring acoustic AND AQUATIC BIOACOUSTICS IN GLOBAL patterns from a holistic perspective that incorporates the physi- RIVER SYSTEMS cal habitat of the river ecosystem [4]. Leah Barclay, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. The scientific grounding for River Listening is led by fresh- Email: <
[email protected]>. water ecologist Dr Simon Linke. Dr Linke’s pioneering work in biomonitoring and river conservation planning has been Toby Gifford, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. used by agencies and NGOs from South East Queensland to Email: <
[email protected]>. the Congo and he has recently been investigating aquatic bioa- Simon Linke, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. coustics and real-time ecosystem monitoring in freshwater Email <
[email protected]>. environments using passive acoustics. Dr Linke believes that classic techniques for measuring aquatic biodiversity are prob- See <mitpressjournals.org/toc/leon/51/3> for supplemental files associated lematic as they potentially injure the study organism (such as with this issue. electrofishing) and can be bias as they only provide a brief balance-unbalance 2015–2016, part 2 Submitted: 21 October 2016 snapshot at the time of observation. He believes that passive Abstract acoustics presents a noninvasive and unexplored approach to River Listening is an interdisciplinary research project exploring the freshwater ecosystem monitoring. This theory is shared by Dr cultural and biological diversity of global river systems through Toby Gifford, the third collaborator on River Listening who is sound. The project examines the creative possibilities of accessible a music technologist and software programmer active in a wide and noninvasive recording technologies to monitor river health and engage local communities in the conservation of global river systems.