The potential of soundscapes as an ecosystem monitoring tool for urban biodiversity

Abstract As urbanization and densification often lead to significant biodiversity loss, understanding and monitoring urban biodiversity patterns is crucial. Traditional monitoring methods are often costly, time-consuming, and require specialized expertise. Passive acoustic monitoring and soundscape ecology have emerged as promising, non-invasive techniques for ecosystem monitoring. This review aims to provide an overview of methods and approaches utilized in urban soundscape ecology and discuss their limitations. We highlight exemplary studies that focus on urban soundscape and biodiversity monitoring to demonstrate that acoustic recordings can be partially used to predict biodiversity in cities, especially for avian species. To realize the potential of urban soundscape monitoring for biodiversity conservation, current challenges must be addressed. This includes data processing, data security, and missing standardized data collection methods. We call for further research that combines innovative technologies and transdisciplinary approaches for non-invasive biodiversity monitoring to develop effective conservation applications for cities.