Naturesound.org/Martyn Stewart
I'm a nature recordist working in TV film and Radio, Vist my website @ www.thelisteningplanet.com
28/11/2023
A few weeks ago I asked my doctor if my life expectancy was still 3-5 years from when they told me in 2020
To my dismay, he said that because the cancer was found in my organs (liver) they would expect me to start to decline. Could be 6-9 months to a year.
It hit me hard because I have been doing all the right things.
I still believe I can beat this but it made me think many things.
I lay awake most nights fighting sleep, my head races around thinking of all things.
One of those things is why do I care so much about the animals and the planet if I’m to die soon.
I watched a film called legacy. It’s mainly about man and his control over the earth and the destruction path he created.
We have had countless warnings in my life about the need to change our ways yet we ignore.
As many of you know, I started recording animals when I was 11 years old.
In the many years since I’ve seen my own personal evidence of climate change.
When I was born, there were some 3-4 billion people on the planet. I could walk for miles in fields and woodlands and record beautiful natural sounds without the thought of man intruding into my recordings.
My life was full with nature…
…
Today the world population has more than doubled and with it, 70% of wild animals and wild lands have disappeared.
So why do I now bother what happens to the planet now that I know I’m losing my own battle?
It’s simple… I still care….
Why would I turn my back on the very things that made my life complete?
All the things I love and hold in my heart are still there. The cancer won’t ever take that away from me.
I never imagined that 58 years after I recorded my first blackbird that a million species would be threatened with extinction…
I never thought the wilds of Africa would be replaced with fields to grow corn, wheat and barley.
I never thought the beautiful Amazonian rainforests would be cleared to grow food for cattle…
From the early days when I was told there was a hole in the ozone, I reduced my footprint yet the tide was always going to be against me.
Politicians will never fight for the earth and people in power will never represent the planet.
There is too much to lose for them.
For many farmers, cattle becomes their bank account. Precious livestock they can sell. It takes one acre of land to feed one cow. It uses 250 gallons of water to make one hamburger…..
To 50% of Americans, climate change is a conspiracy and they use the same soundbites to back up their ill-advised logic.
Ive seen the permafrost melting and the polar caps melting.i can tell you first hand what’s going on with the world.
Kilimanjaro of the eternal snow is now almost without ice, like wrinkled old skin.
The place I live in will not exist in 30 years, the coastlines will disappear along Florida….
Temperature will rise by two degrees because the people in charge of our governments won’t do anything to stop the slide.
You may say 2 degrees is nothing where some of you live but think of it this way, If your body increased by 2 degrees, you would be in bed with a fever. If it increased by 4 degrees you would be dead.
I draw parallels between human and animal populations. While animals face natural limiters, we, with our intelligence and technology, have removed those constraints, placing our destiny squarely in our hands.
I care because it’s embedded in me, I ask you all to once again consider your usage. Cut down on fossil fuel and cut out animal agriculture.
We all have kids and their kids would appreciate it….
18/06/2023
https://on.soundcloud.com/U2iYY
Have you ever wondered why your ocean recordings don’t sound like you can hear?
Most people record the ocean by standing close to the shore and pointing a microphone at it.
The thing is, Microphones are not ears….
The best way to record the sounds of the ocean is to do it in three steps and mix them together to create a better perspective.
Try recording 50 yards away, then record another separate track 100 yards away and the same, 150 yards away.
When you mix together it sounds more realistic like this.
20230618T Melbourne Surf Mix Have you ever wondered why your ocean recordings don’t sound like the way you hear them?? Most people record the ocean by standing close to the shore and pointing a microphone at it. The thing is, Mic
19/04/2023
Voice Of Nature Go to Voice Of Nature.
05/01/2023
The diminishing wetlands There was a pond my brother took me to when I was little, it was about a mile or so from my house,It was a magical place. If you scooped a jam jar into the water there would be a world of critters sw
07/12/2022
Play the playlist that can’t be heard.
Sounds that will never be made by nature again.
Each play funds species preservation.
This playlist has been built to reflect the evolution of biodiversity over time. All sounds were recorded in the past 50 years.
Listen to the difference between now and then. And make a difference by listening, as every play will generate revenue for species preservation.
https://www.thelisteningplanet.com/cop15
COP15 | The Listening Planet The Listening Planet creates spaces and opportunities for more people to connect and deepen their relationship with the natural world.
This month we are launching a fundraising campaign to ask for your help in continuing to share nature's story, allowing us to reconnect with, and protect, the natural world.
We need your help, whether that be through DONATIONS, ENGAGEMENT or simply SHARING our story. I have never, in all my years of recording or animal activism, sought contributions in this way, but I cannot think of a more necessary time to than right now...
I had the pleasure of teaching kids in school about nature sounds and some of the questions i had asked started to make me think about things.
I gave examples of various bird sounds and different sounds from various biomes. I told the kids how the natural world is disappearing and if we didn’t act fast, a million species could go extinct in their lifetime.
Through sound, everything told a different story. Sound tells a million pictures.
I told them when i was a kid, nature and her sounds took me out of a troubled household and connected me to another world and it was beautiful. I told them that there was half the population then and a lot less man made noises with an abundance of wildlife.
That classroom gave me an idea that if we taught kids how to record nature sounds, they could take a trip into my world when i was their age.
Connecting nature with sound gives children an opening to a world that is magical and with it a sense of well-being.
One kid said to me “How can i fall in love with nature when i don’t know if i have a home to go back to. I have to look after myself first. She was considered homeless.
I gave her comparisons to my life and told her my story. Her eyes changed and became very inquisitive.
I believe We need to get recorders into the hands of youngsters like me back when I started recording. We need to light the fire in those who actually have a shot at saving us.
What happened to me as an 11 years made me appreciate nature going forward through sound.
Todays 11 year olds can do the same. I want to reconnect nature to them and involve them in the acoustic world.
We need to use sound to show people how beautifully Mother nature and her animals sing.
18 months ago, when the doctors gave me a time frame of 3-5 years to live, I had a choice to make: strength or weakness.
It was impossible to not think about mother nature in that moment, whose grip on Earth is fading as much as I now knew mine was.
Despite everything humanity has thrown at her, nature’s strength continues. When everything else on the Earth is gone, I believe that nature will still be there, fighting on. So, as I was sitting in that doctor's office, nature inspired me to fight.
For over 55 years I have recorded the natural sounds and critters that share this Earth with us. From the 11 year year old that used the delights of mother nature to escape the struggles of home, when we never knew if there would be dinner on the table,
to the 66 year old with suffering health, nature has always been my driving force.
I need others to find the love for our world that I did and I need your help to protect her when I am no longer able to. The Listening Planet is my mantel and I ask you all to pick it up and run with it. We only have one home.
03/09/2022
I am so honoured to be a part of the BBC Green planet project. Some incredible footage with our sounds from the Redwoods in California.
https://youtu.be/6ITjNVt0Ae0
Soothing Forest Soundscapes | Our Green Planet | BBC Earth Sit back, relax and enjoy the magical world of Giant Redwood Forests as we take you on a journey through this unique and endangered ecosystem.An ...
22/04/2022
This earth day i'd like to give a shout out to Rosey Chan and her beautiful work that accompanies my sounds from the natural world.
Today we have collaborated on a few songs. Her music has completely blown me apart, never before did i ever contemplate having music overlap my natural sounds but Rosey's talents have given my sounds a different perspective..... Love what you do and who you are my dear lady.....
Take a listen here
https://platoon.lnk.to/Luminous_ListeningPlanet?fbclid=IwAR3GkBFZr71JTBOxSFH9y0gMTtPu59i_gBvhjn_kPBQoZf8NMr0LLr2TInM
Rosey Chan, The Listening Planet - Luminous Listen to Luminous by Rosey Chan, The Listening Planet.
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