01732 759725 31 magazine WELLBEING Outdoor businesses and venues could benefit from boosting biodiversity, reveals a new study from the University of East Anglia Wine, soundscapes and birdsong tours more. By demonstrating the wellbeing benefits of soundscapes composed of richer birdsong, the study highlights the importance of biodiversity and conservation in vineyards and other businesses. One of the vineyards involved in the study, Saffron Grange in Esssex, which specialises in growing grapes for quality sparkling wine, has been inspired by the study to introduce measures to improve the biodiversity of its vineyards, as Vineyard Manager Paul Harrison explains. “We spoke with Natalia at length regarding the findings of her bird survey research and what we can do to further improve our habitats. For example, we cut our hedges every three years, but we could also be cutting them to a point, like a house roof rather than a flat top, which would promote even better habitat. And we could start incorporating even more diverse grasses and bird seed mixes into our ground cover with a specific view to supporting finches and turtle doves,” he said. “The most surprising recommendation was leaving some exposed soil especially under the vines as this is where birds like to consume insects, which is a great example of how having a wider understanding of the entire ecosystem provides for better management.” This was welcome advice for Harrison who had been aiming to leave no soil exposed to provide a better habitat for soil life. While this was easy to achieve in and around the vineyard, it was problematic under vines where vegetation increases humidity and can cause fungal disease. Harrison added: “What it really reiterates is how having a balance to everything is the most important thing to remember, be it out in the vineyard or for our own mental wellbeing.” www.uea.ac.uk routes of three vineyards and played additional birdsong to some tour groups, creating ‘enhanced soundscapes’ that were louder and more diverse; and c) surveyed visitors at the end of their tour, measuring their experience in terms of sound enjoyment, soundscape connectedness and tour satisfaction, and comparing the experience of groups that had been exposed to enhanced soundscapes to those that had not. Survey results According to Dr Natalia Zielonka, the survey results highlight the benefits that conservation can bring, with vineyard visitors exposed to a soundscape with more varied bird species feeling greater satisfaction with their tours. “Vineyard visitors who experienced our enhanced soundscapes reported an improved tour experience and showed stronger agreement with statements that the sounds in the vineyard were appealing and made them feel engrossed,” she said. “This resulted in our visitors feeling freer from work, routine and responsibility, and being more relaxed and optimistic during the tours.” Revealingly, visitors to vineyards with louder and more diverse baseline soundscapes that weren’t exposed to the enhanced soundscape also enjoyed their New research showing that visitors to UK vineyards enjoy tours more if they can hear diverse birdsong could have important lessons not just for outdoor businesses, but for any business with outdoor spaces, says one of the study’s co-authors. A team of researchers from the University of East Anglia led by Dr Natalia Zielonka of UEA’s School of Biological Sciences explored the relationship between ‘soundscapes’ (the sonic profile of an environment) and people’s experience of nature and found that loud and varied birdsong enhanced feelings of wellbeing and optimism. Professor Simon Butler of UEA’s School of Biological Sciences, co-author of Increased bird sound diversity in vineyards enhances visitors’ tour experience (published in People and Nature), says these findings suggest a wide range of businesses could boost customer satisfaction by improving the biodiversity of their sites. He said: “Gardens or historic halls, cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating, outdoor markets, national and holiday parks could all potentially benefit. “Moving away from businesses that are run for money, we’d anticipate that the same principles would apply in settings such as schools, care homes or hospitals, where we’d expect that enhancing nature and soundscapes would help create a more relaxed and mindful atmosphere.” The study elements For the research, Dr Natalia Zielonka and her team: a) studied the soundscapes of 21 English vineyards, analysing the relationship between species diversity, abundance and volume and concluding that greater bird species richness, rather than abundance, leads to more diverse and louder soundscapes; b) hid speakers along the tour Credit: Natalia Zielonka, UEA Dr Natalia Zielonka Paul Harrison
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