Zuzana Burivalova has turned remote audio recordings into a practical tool for tracking the condition of tropical forests on several continents. Her approach captures the calls of mammals, birds, amphibians, and insects around the clock, creating long-term records that reveal both current biodiversity and shifts over time. This body of work recently earned her the 2026 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award from the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability at the University of California, Los Angeles. ([1])
Sound as a Window Into Forest Condition
Traditional surveys of forest life often require teams on the ground for limited periods. Burivalova’s method places autonomous recorders that operate continuously, collecting data across entire years without constant human presence. The resulting sound libraries serve as baselines against which future recordings can be compared, highlighting changes in species presence or activity patterns.
Because the recorders run day and night in remote locations, they capture species that are rarely seen but frequently heard. Analysts can then identify trends that might otherwise go unnoticed until visible damage appears. The technique complements rather than replaces field observations, adding a layer of temporal detail that visual checks alone rarely provide.
Work Spanning Multiple Tropical Regions
Burivalova, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and head of the Sound Forest Lab, has deployed equipment in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Peru, Madagascar, and Ecuador. Each site presents distinct acoustic environments shaped by different species assemblages and human pressures. The consistent use of the same recording approach across these areas allows comparisons that single-site studies cannot achieve.
Data from these projects feed into broader assessments of how various conservation measures perform. Burivalova has contributed to platforms that evaluate the effectiveness of different protection strategies, helping identify which approaches deliver measurable results for biodiversity.
Award Brings Both Recognition and Obligation
Receiving the Pritzker award, Burivalova described the honor as humbling and especially meaningful amid current challenges facing environmental research. She views the recognition as carrying a responsibility to advance biodiversity conservation efforts in the years ahead. The award also affirms the value of sustained work on tropical forests and related ecosystems.
She noted that the recognition reinforces pride in the lab’s collective efforts. Colleagues and collaborators share in the acknowledgment that monitoring and protecting biodiversity remains a priority worth supporting.
Looking Ahead With Measured Optimism
Continuous acoustic monitoring offers one route to understanding how forests respond to changing conditions, yet it still requires integration with other data sources for full interpretation. Burivalova’s projects illustrate both the promise and the practical limits of the method, showing where sound data add clarity and where additional fieldwork remains essential.
The award highlights an approach that has already produced usable insights across distant regions. As more long-term recordings accumulate, researchers expect clearer pictures of how forests are faring and which interventions merit wider adoption.
