Noise pollution harming NI’s wildlife survival, growth and behaviour, Queen’s University study finds
Friday 6 November 2026
Noise pollution is affecting the survival, development and behaviour of wildlife across the world, with new research from Queen’s University Belfast revealing consequences for species found in Northern Ireland, including house sparrows, Atlantic salmon and Atlantic cod.
The major international analysis found that noise pollution altered the physiology, development or behaviour of 80% of the species studied, with evidence of reduced survival, reproductive success and population numbers.
Researchers examined 214 experimental studies involving 177 species across six continents, uncovering effects ranging from accelerated ageing in garden birds to slower growth and increased mortality among young fish.
The findings, published in the scientific journal Science, suggest that noise from human activity is a much wider threat to wildlife than previously understood, prompting calls for quieter areas to be protected alongside traditional natural habitats.
How noise affects familiar wildlife
Among the species examined was the house sparrow, a familiar sight in gardens across Northern Ireland. Research included in the analysis found that exposure to noise, including traffic noise, weakened chicks' defences against predators and produced early signs of accelerated ageing.
Young Atlantic cod were also vulnerable, growing more slowly and becoming more likely to die when exposed to noise during their larval stage. Atlantic salmon, another species found in Northern Ireland's waters, was also included in the wider analysis.
The findings demonstrate that noise pollution can have consequences beyond temporarily disturbing animals, potentially affecting their ability to develop, survive and reproduce.
When hiding from danger becomes a risk
One particularly unexpected finding concerned how noise can interfere with the relationship between predators and their prey.
Animals often retreat into enclosed spaces when threatened, but sound can become louder and travel further within these shelters. Researchers found that this can make hiding places more dangerous, potentially helping predators locate prey or forcing animals back into exposed areas.
The analysis also identified contrasting responses among animal parents exposed to noise. Some increased the care and protection they provided to their young, while others reduced it.
These opposing reactions suggest that the same environmental pressure can affect species in markedly different ways, complicating efforts to predict the consequences of increasing noise levels.
Changes reaching the genetic level
The research found that noise pollution can affect wildlife at an even deeper biological level, with measurable changes in gene activity recorded in animals exposed to noise.
This means the effects are not limited to stress responses or changes in behaviour. Noise exposure can also influence biological processes involved in how animals function and develop.
The findings add to concerns that increasing human-generated noise could have lasting consequences for wildlife populations, particularly where animals cannot escape persistent disturbance.
Calls for quieter wildlife habitats
The study was led by Dr Hansjoerg Kunc and Dr Rouven Schmidt from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast.
Dr Kunc said:
“Noise pollution is a rapidly growing global stressor already recognised as a serious human health hazard by the World Health Organization (WHO), but its effects on wildlife have been poorly understood. This work shows that noise pollution is an underrated threat to wildlife worldwide and calls for soundscapes to be protected with the same seriousness as physical habitats, through measures such as low-noise zones that give animals a genuine acoustic refuge.”
The researchers argue that protecting wildlife should involve more than preserving the physical places where animals live. The sounds within those environments, and the opportunities animals have to escape disruptive noise, also deserve consideration.
Their analysis identifies noise pollution as a widespread environmental pressure capable of influencing which animals survive and reproduce, with potential implications for biodiversity and conservation planning.
For Northern Ireland, where familiar garden birds and marine species feature among those examined, the findings raise an important question for future conservation efforts: whether protecting wildlife habitats will also require greater attention to how noisy those habitats have become.
