New radio service broadcasts 'sounds of nature' at Knepp Estate near Horsham

It has been launched by the University of Sussex and promises to broadcast ‘nothing but nature’ on its airwaves.

‘Wilding Radio’ will record and broadcast the live soothing sounds of Sussex nature 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Developed by a researcher at the University of Sussex, it enables people to tune in to the sounds of nature at the Knepp Estate at West Grinstead – one of the UK’s leading rewilding projects.

Led by Dr Alice Eldridge, an expert in soundscape ecology at the University of Sussex, Wilding Radio can be accessed by simply clicking a link: https://wilding.radio/#knepp

Listeners will be able to hear nightingales and turtle doves – which have both made a recent comeback to Knepp – as well as the more familiar sounds of cows, pigs, frogs and bees.

The team intend for it to be the ultimate ‘slow radio’, to help people reconnect to nature while also aiming to transmit a message of hope in the face of unprecedented biodiversity loss.

The first experiment – as part of the project – has been set up to monitor changes in soundscapes above and below water at the site of beaver reintroduction in West Sussex.

It has been developed in collaboration with the London-based arts cooperative, Soundcamp – who are pioneers of environmental radio. It is set to run indefinitely.

Dr Eldridge said: “The project was born from a scientific curiosity about whether we might be able to hear the impact of the beavers using digital tools. But during development we realised just how engaging it was to listen to the soundscapes of wetland ecosystem live, and around the clock.

“We have come to believe that we are separate from ‘nature’, but as we listen to ducks squabbling, pigs coming for a drink, nightingales singing romantic duets to each other and snails ceaselessly munching underwater, we realise that we are just one of many species trying to get on with our lives.

“We wanted anyone, anywhere, anytime to be able to be able to listen to these hopeful sounds of nature recovery.

“Perhaps this simple intervention can encourage people to recognise their connection to nature and the importance of taking action to protect whilst there is still time.”

The Knepp Estate, a former dairy farm, has been rewilded over the last two decades by its owners Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell eenabling the return of an array of rare species including nightingales, Turtle Doves, White Storks and purple emperor butterflies.

Isabella Tree said: “The calming effects of wild sounds are now almost entirely missing from our everyday lives. We may hear the odd crow, blackbird or pigeon but, across Britain, the number of wild birds has fallen by 73 million since 1970.

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"We’ve lost the wall of sound they used to generate as well as the more subtle register of insects and small mammal activity – the full orchestral ensemble of our natural world. So, we’re thrilled that Wilding Radio will be helping to connect wider audiences with the abundant birdsong and the sounds of aquatic life emanating from Knepp.”

A soundcloud link of clips of various species can be found here: https://soundcloud.com/wildingradio