Anthropogenic noise from roads, industry and human activity is disrupting communication, stress levels and behavior of terrestrial wildlife across landscapes.
Noise pollution represents a chronic, landscape-scale welfare harm to wild animals that is largely invisible to humans who have normalized it. Animals relying on acoustic communication for finding mates, detecting predators and maintaining social bonds experience noise as a permanent disruption to essential biological functions. The elevated cortisol documented in chronically noise-exposed birds and mammals indicates genuine physiological stress. Migratory species face particular challenges as they encounter noise pollution at multiple points along routes. Quiet natural areas are becoming genuinely scarce - the acoustic ecology of landscapes matters for wildlife welfare as much as habitat quality and food availability. Planning and transport policies should incorporate noise as a wildlife welfare consideration.