Excerpted from United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 at un.org
Songs of Adaptation project has direct links to Goals 4, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15, 16, and 17.
Education can help equip locals with the tools required to develop innovative solutions to the world’s greatest problems
Songs of Adaptation equips locals with bioacoustic tools
Songs supports evidence-based decision making in partnership with local leaders. Songs conducts research, provides training, and facilitates action. Bioacoustic monitoring stations do not need to sleep, nor do they need to focus on animals in just the right lighting to document their existence. Set to a five-minutes-on, ten-minutes-off recording pattern, Songs captures over 250,000 sounds monthly.
Goal 4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others…global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
Songs of Adaptation promotes hands-on learning experiences valuing biodiversity with school students and local community leaders
In partnership with outdoor education schools, Songs team teaches biodiversity to students. With the iNaturalist app, students identify species in their community and discuss the importance of diversity in their everyday life. Analyzing real data, lessons are designed to engage auditory, visual, kinesthetic learners. Students link their local bioacoustic data to the Songs data from locations worldwide.
Focusing on universal access to energy, increased energy efficiency and the increased use of renewable energy is crucial to creating more sustainable and inclusive communities and resilience to environmental issues like climate change
Songs of Adaptation is prototyping solar panel systems to implement in remote mountain locations.
Utilizing cloud computing to monitor energy efficiency of monitoring stations, big data is used to optimize solutions. Songs team works with local businesses to source solar materials that will expand local alternative energy solutions.
Sustainable economic growth will require societies to create the conditions that allow people to have quality jobs that stimulate the economy while not harming the environment
Songs of Adaptation partners with existing economies to employ local leaders
Building capacity in local communities is central to our work. Each community is unique in how the tools we provide fit into their local economy. One might be utilizing the acoustic data to support local adventure tourism, another might partner with a neighboring national park to get global recognition for the park’s biodiversity.
11.4 Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage
Songs of Adaptation is a megaphone for diverse stories and songs.
Building on the increased connectivity of mountain communities, Songs strives to amplify the diverse stories and songs coming out of local communities. Our work attempts to combat the social media global norms and culture flooding into these diverse communities. Using technology and our global connectedness, we strive to add value to stories of adaptation in local voices and bird songs during this rapidly changing time in our climate.
13.2 Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
Songs of Adaptation measures the acceleration of climate change worldwide in Bolivia, Nepal, and the United States
Songs works with governments and nonprofits in 3 countries, utilizing big data and community stories to drive systemic change.
Forests are key to combating climate change, protecting biodiversity and the homes of the indigenous population.
Songs of Adaptation is gathering baseline data in diverse ecozones
Songs monitoring stations are thoughtfully placed in diverse forests and rainforests as well as alpine, high altitude, and riparian zones. Over time, the data being collected will allow for examination of changing patterns due to anthropogenic and natural causes. Songs strives to use this baseline data to protect biodiversity of communities and ecosystems globally.
16.7 Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
16.8 Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance
Our home within Future Generations University provides a foundation with SEED-SCALE methodology
SEED-SCALE supports community development with four Basic Principles: Build from success; Form a three-way partnership between the Bottom-up, the Top-down, and the Outside-in; Make decisions based on evidence and data rather than opinions; Focus on behavior change rather than on providing services. As a University we focus on Research, Learning, and Action. Songs provides a conduit to bring remote mountain communities’ data, innovations and stories into influential global decisions.
17.6 Enhance regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms.
Songs of Adaptation team is hands-on.
Traveling to remote mountain villages, we see first hand the challenges and successes of our local partners. Songs team provides training in science concepts, electronics concepts, English and computer for collaboration with the growing global community.
A successful sustainable development agenda requires partnerships between governments, the private sector and civil society.
Songs of Adaptation has deep roots in global communities
Many organizations are utilizing bioacoustics to monitor climate change. Songs of Adaptation’s unique partnerships building strong institutional projects rooted deep in remote mountain communities sets us apart. Songs work in the Makalu-Barun National Park east of Everest in Nepal has roots in sustainability partnerships that formed the park over 3 decades ago.
