The Ecuadorian rainforest doesn't just exist; it sings. Bright calls, rustling canopies, and sounds found nowhere else on Earth create a symphony that senior student researcher Sabine Greeson captured in one of the world's most threatened ecosystems.

This February, Greeson will share those recordings as part of "Intentional Listening," Tulane's annual springtime series that invites audiences to experience sound with curiosity and intention. Her presentation focuses on the acoustic ecology of the Chocó biogeographic zone, a critical biodiversity hotspot facing mounting environmental pressures.

During the summer of 2025, Greeson traveled to Ecuador through the Tulane Interdisciplinary Environmental Research and Action (TIERA) program, working with Fundación para la Conservación de los Andes Tropicales (FCAT), a rainforest conservation NGO. Armed with recording equipment, she documented the region's diverse soundscapes, from the chorus of wildlife to songs heard at the FCAT field station.

The session will explore not just what the rainforest sounds like, but what those sounds mean. Attendees will hear local perspectives on conservation and learn how acoustic ecology helps us understand ecosystems in ways visual observation alone cannot capture. It's a reminder that some of the world's most precious sounds are in danger of disappearing. The event is on Wednesday, February 11, at 2:00 pm in Room 430 of the Howard-Tilton Memorial Library.

The Intentional Listening is an annual springtime monthly series that invites you to experience listening in a way that moves beyond the daily cacophony to hear our world with curiosity and intention. This spring's series focuses on the sounds of our natural and built environment. 

The rainforest hums with life. Come listen before it falls silent.

Image credit: Adriana García, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons