Regenerative sound
Ecoacoustics is a cutting-edge field that uses sound to promote biodiversity and conservation. In 2023, Sonos launched our signature $250,000 campaign in partnership with Rainforest Connection to support their work preserving biodiversity around the world. With projects spanning 35 countries, Rainforest Connection enables scientists, governments, nonprofit partners, and local communities to take action against climate change and the ongoing biodiversity loss crisis that threatens thousands of species with extinction.
"By listening to and learning from nature, we can contribute to global conservation efforts and safeguard critical species and forests from the worst impacts of climate change,” says Deji Olukotun, Director of Global Affairs & Sustainability at Sonos.
Sonos funds will help support a Rainforest Connection project site in the Malaysian state of Sabah, in the northern part of Borneo. “We have a long history of working with manufacturing partners in Malaysia,” Olukotun continues, “Sonos wanted to act locally in support of an initiative close to where our products are built.” Borneo is known for its rich biodiversity because it is home to thousands of wildlife and plant species. But these species face increasing threats of land degradation and fragmentation due to various agricultural practices. In collaboration with local partner HUTAN, Rainforest Connection is using their acoustic monitoring technology to measure the impacts of reforested agricultural landscapes on local species, which includes the critically endangered orangutan that is endemic to Borneo and Sumatra. Using sound to better understand the dynamic ecology of the region is essential to the long-term conservation of the orangutan and its threatened habitat. Some 3,000 species of trees thrive across Borneo — more than the total number of native species in North America and Europe combined.
Hear the sounds of Malaysian Borneo below.