Is Acoustic Ecology About Ecology? - Reflections on the International Conference on Acoustic Ecology “Stockholm, Hey Listen!” 1998

There are advantages with integrating the study of soundscapes with a more general framework, such as ecology. Soundscape studies will be able to use the rich theoretical framework of ecology, as well as benefit from publicity due to the current ecological movement. However, ecology puts new demands on the theoretical concepts used in soundscape studies, and these new demands are likely to cause some problems. This article aims at exposing one of the basic conceptual differences between soundscape studies and ecology –the difference between a phenomenological and an ecological approachand to discuss some of its consequences.