The Sounds of the Forest

In March and April community radios stations across the UK took part in the Your Forest project. Community Radio Stations near forests asked their listeners to venture out into their local wooded areas and record the sounds that they could hear.

These sounds have now been added to the Your Forest interactive map. Using this map you can listen to the sounds of the UK's urban forests, as captured and recorded by the communities who live near them. On the map the leaf shaped markers show the location of forest recordings, all of which you can listen to directly from the map. The radio mast markers provide links to the websites of the community radio stations who took part in the Your Forest project.

You can listen to forests elsewhere in the world on the Sounds of the Forest interactive map. Sounds of the Forest allows you to listen to sound recordings made in forests around the world. The map includes many different sound recordings from around the globe, including the calls of lemurs in the forests of Madagascar, the song of a Nightjar in Australia and the cascade of a waterfall in Chile.

The sound recordings featured on the Sounds of the Forest map were originally collected for the 2021 Timber Festival. The map still includes a 'contribute' link so it looks like you can still submit your own recordings of forest aural landscapes to the map.

From the insect chorus of the Borneo rain-forests to the crooning baritone song of an Atlantic humpback whale, the Nature Soundmap can also serenade you with the sounds of nature. Nature Soundmap is a map featuring the sounds of nature captured by professional nature sound recordists all around the world.

Maps have always been a fascinating way to explore the globe. Add in the sounds of the monsoon in Borneo or the soundscape of the Brazilian rain-forest and you can almost imagine that you really have been transported to the other side of the world.

If you want to explore more interactive maps featuring sound recordings made in different urban and rural landscapes then check out the Maps Mania Sound Maps label.