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Abstract(s)
The preservation of historical and contemporary data safeguards our scientific
legacy. Bioacoustic recordings can have historical as well as scientific value and
should be assessed for their conservation requirements. Unpreserved bioacoustics
recordings are generally not referenced and are frequently at high risk of loss by
material degradation and/or by misplacement. In this study we investigated the
preservation status of sets of natural sound recordings made in Portugal from 1983
until 2010 inclusive. We evaluated the recordings on the basis of their rate of loss,
the degree to which unpreserved recordings could be preserved, and their risk of
loss. Recordists of animal sounds were surveyed (by questionnaire or interview) to
identify sets of recordings and to collect information on their quality and state of
preservation. Of the 78 recordists identified, we found that 32% of the recordings
have an unclear status and that only 9% of the recordings are lost. Of the c. 6
terabytes of unpreserved sound recordings discovered, an estimated 49% were
recoverable. Moreover, 95% of the recoverable sets of recordings were at high risk
of loss by their being misplaced. These risks can be minimized if recordists are
persuaded to deposit their material in an institution committed to long-term curation
of such data (e.g. sound archives). Overall, the study identified a considerable body
of unpreserved animal sound recordings that could contribute to our scientific
heritage and knowledge of the biodiversity found in Portugal. It highlights the need
to implement effective policies to promote the deposit of recordings for preservation
and to reverse the present scenario so that scientific material can be preserved for
future generations.
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Citation
Plos One, 9(12), e114303
Publisher
Public Library Science