How I came to record in the Atlantic Forest
The Atlantic Forest domain stretches from the northeastern to the southern regions of Brazil and northern Argentina and southeastern Paraguay. In the northeastern part of Brazil it occupies a thin coastal strip not exceeding 40 miles in width, while in the south it extends from the coast to as far as 200 miles inland.
It harbours around 2,200 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians – 5% of the vertebrates on Earth. This includes nearly 200 bird species found nowhere else, and 60% of all of Brazil’s threatened animal species call this forest home. (source)
Listening and recording to soundscapes of forests switched on a unique fascination and desire to understand and listen more. I started to become highly curious when I browsed through sound recordings of Estonian ponds and Borneo cicadas. Once I decided to start exploring more into this field, I made my mind into Brazil. It is an impressive big country with many geographic opportunities to record and, at the time, close friends living in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro opened their houses to me as well as family members in Rio Grande do Sul. These are strong anchors to hold on to - especially when it comes to moving around and safety. Being a guest, I must say, can be a very different experience than merely visiting as a tourist, especially as tourism is bringing complex issues that hurt the local population despite the typical advertisement that this sector is a necessary economic activity.
I went from getting access and support from the staff of a state park in São Paulo to spending 3 weeks pretty much living in the middle of the forest, in Minas Gerais, in a research center along with other volunteers, conducting my own informal work at my pace.
Since it was my first field recording trip and my first trip outside Europe together with an immeasurable will and need to escape the darkness and doom of Swedish winters, I confess that my planning was not brilliant but in the end I was lucky enough that everything went well. However, there are fundamentals that were met and that allowed me to move around smoothly.
STAPLES OF PLANNING
budget to travel and accommodation, access areas of interest and emergencies
ability to communicate with people in the country and region
knowing people / have friends or relatives who can help with housing, moving, cultural norms and bureaucracy
basic functioning, location and schedules of hospital and clinic location, embassies
having at least the start of a plan to record
think of the smaller things ahead: how / where to buy transportation tickets, schedules
4G cover / SIM cards, etc.
HOW I APPROACHED THE ORGANIZATIONS’ OFFICES
About two months before I traveled, I looked at State Parks and protected areas near my main temporary residence and emailed the responsible cabinet for those. I introduced myself briefly, explained the interest in recording within their area and proposed to share with them the recordings for their own purposes.
Shortly after I arrived in São Paulo, I called them to schedule a meeting. I was thrilled to be welcomed by the nicest and friendliest people. They seemed to have a genuine interest in this kind of work and I found them mostly curious about why I chose to do it myself. They were not working there by chance either: from biologists with a deep interest and love for the more-than-human-world, to administrative and managing staff carrying a strong concern regarding the privatization of national parks, pollution, people’s disconnection towards fauna and the forest and the multitude of perils from poverty and social exclusion - along with political corruption - which led to poaching and the encroaching of the forest with illegal construction of houses in the already asphyxiating bordering territory between these two.
I believe it’s not really possible to do a well-rounded work when the social and political factors are ignored in the work’s presentation. This can easily be even a disservice to the places and the peoples.
Back in the office of the Park, I asked them if they had written information, such as booklets, how their biologists and other experts incorporate their work everyday and if I can at least get to know them. Before I met them, I actually made an informal visit to the place, so I could firstly experience it and then have more precise questions or topics to discuss. I paid my ticket on a Sunday and got to know the place a little. When I met the administration staff a few days later, I could share with them my own experience, having already been enchanted by that magic world. When the cicadas were singing loudly, I thought I was on another planet, so impressed I was by this sound. So then, I could ask when they were most active - as you can see, I knew nothing then! There were also trail indications - mostly for a few different species of monkeys, others for venomous animals. It’s highly important to learn how to keep safe and the park rangers briefed me on the basics concerning that specific environment.
Although I believe that this is starting to change now, some people / organizations still don’t quite understand the relevance of documenting the sound of a natural system. But it should not take much for them to love the idea! Maybe you can bring your laptop with you and show them a spectrogram of another recording you did - everyone really likes to visualize sound.
With a predetermined plan, one can show it is an enough organised person. In both places I have been, I asked if they had a particular situation of their interest that could be potentially important or helpful to record. For example, there might be a bird that is difficult to see or an area that is changing, for good or bad, and it’s important to register.
So: be friendly, study a bit before if possible but keep humble as this is not your place. Asking how we can be helpful and what are the particular species or areas to focus, be curious and share your sounds.
LOCAL P EOPLE
Local people can be incredibly helpful on this sound quest. I’m thinking of the rural area where I am living right now with very low population density and pretty much everyone knows each other. Some of them, who have been living here for quite a while, know all the unmarked trails, where to listen to a specific animal, when it’s best to listen to a particular bird they like, recognise traces, or know about animals’ behavior. They will also be aware of landscape (and soundscape) changes which is so valuable for this work. So go around, meet people and talk a lot about the surroundings. And it’s not only about their practical knowledge, but also about how they listen. One can certainly expect a different sound awareness from a semi-hermit in the middle of valleys, surrounded by forest and the man in the suit living on the business street of the city, right?
Where was I in Brazil?
The first area I worked on was the Parque Estadual da Cantareira. It’s a national park where I have been very welcome and with some coordination I could do almost everything that I wanted. I was going there each day I wanted to record, since it’s a public space with scheduled opening / closing times. For a few occasions, they were generous enough to open the gates for me much earlier than the regular schedule and this alone led me to record the solitary tinamou, which I have been in love with ever since. I also brought along a friend who is an artist and did some photography, painting and documentation work.
Later on, I did this same job under a paid volunteer program in Iracambi; I simply proposed to do this kind of job and it was swiftly accepted. I truly recommend this type of structure as I am able to live in the middle of the forest in their accommodations, record when and what I want, leave the gear outside for the whole night without worrying much about theft, hike and be very free for the time here. When choosing to work and collaborate with these organizations I’d recommend to check throughout if they don’t hurt local economies, how they are involved in political initiatives and what kind of conservation models they pledge. Environmental justice can’t live without social justice, so I’d say it is fundamental to be aware of the connections we are establishing and promoting.
Reciprocity
The possibility of financing these trips came when I was only around 30 years old. I was so grateful for this stability and then being welcomed as warmly as I was that I couldn’t do less than donate a portion of the sales to the NGO’s that helped me and keep promoting sustainable development, growing new forests and lobbying against regional mining.
A portion of the revenue from both albums recorded over there, Mata Atlântica and Nocturnal Sounds of the Atlantic Forest, goes to the chosen NGO’s.
Note: I wrote this article originally in 2017, while I was staying at Iracambi. I revisited it in the summer of 2023 and I was appalled of my own arrogance then and the way I spoke about tips to get help from people within the organizations and places in question. Without any ill intentions by then, now I recognize the "me vs. them" kind of communication I used back then.