Press release from People Need Nature:
The charity People Need Nature celebrates National Meadow Day today by releasing a specially created soundscape evoking the lost Wildflower Meadows of England. 97% of all wildflower hay meadows in England have been lost since 1945. Just a few thousand hectares remain.
People Need Nature Trustee Keith Datchler had the idea for a meadow soundscape at the launch of the Queen’s (Coronation) Meadow in Green Park, London, in 2016.
‘We were standing next to Hyde Park Corner, with all the traffic noise, and I just thought wouldn’t it be fantastic if people visiting the Coronation Meadow could escape from the London hubbub for a few minutes and enjoy the sounds of a wildflower meadow.”
People Need Nature worked with composer Matt Shaw to develop the Meadow Soundscape. Simon Emmerson of Afro Celt Sound System produced the mix, with Charlie Moores from Lush Radio providing voice-over. Mark Constantine and Magnus Robb of The Sound Approach recorded the bird samples used in the Soundscape.
Miles King, Chief Executive of People Need Nature said: ‘Music has always been inspired by the sounds of nature. There are very few wildflower meadows now left in England. By listening to our Meadow Soundscape, anyone can enjoy the sounds of nature in a wildflower meadow wherever they are.’.
ENDS
Mark writes: The Meadow Soundscape is really lovely, and it’s sad that there is probably nowhere in the UK you can visit which will resemble this soundscape closely these days; listen here and enjoy it. We could bring these sounds back to our lives if we put some effort into it.
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Nature doesn’t need human beings – it will survive without us”
Agreed. But a somewhat perverse choice of words in the context of National Meadow Day, a celebration of one of the most valued plagioclimax habitats.
Loved the Meadow Soundscape though.
thanks Joe. It’s a phrase that applies to the philosophy behind People Need Nature, rather than the specifics of National Meadows Day.
As to how natural or artificial meadow communities are, well that’s another debate altogether.
Thanks very much Mark for helping publicise the soundscape.
Ah ok fair enough Miles, please accept my apologies.
no apology needed at all Jo.
It was just an accident that the phrase appeared on the photo that Mark took from our website. Had I been more organised I would have sent him a separate copy of the image.
Other sounds that could have been included are deep munching and breathing ones. They are the sounds of desire as cattle crane and stretch their necks under fences for a few sweet grasses and herbs just surviving along nitrogen-free field verges. People are the same; they like eating different stuff. And they like thinking about eating. Plus they like thinking about where food comes from.
For example, 7% of Americans think that chocolate milk drinks come from cows – that is special ones called ‘brown cows’. That’s a cute. You see, people have vivid imaginations. So there’s a clue to success here: if cattle can get excited about variety in their diet then why not sell that state of mind to the general public and add to your great campaign to win back flower-rich meadows for everyone?