| Acronym: | QuietNature |
| Cost Center: | 1369 |
| Operation Code: | 2025.06714.AZO |
| Title: | Quiet Nature? The impact of noise pollution on a Nature destination |
| Start-End: | 01-03-2026 - 28-02-2029 |
| Entidade Beneficiária Principal: | FGF - Fundação Gaspar Frutuoso, FP |
| Gestores da FGF: | Lúcia Cláudio, Ricardo Figueira |
| Responsible Researcher: | Ana Catarina Macedo Mendonça |
| Organic Units: | FCSH - Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas |
| R&D Units: | CEHu - Centro de Estudos Humanísticos |
| Entidade | Montante |
|---|---|
| Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (OE) (100.0 %) | 249.999,92 € |
Main Objectives:
1) Evaluate the effects of immersive exposure to natural environments on physical and mental health parameters.
2) Study the physiological and psychological impact of noise pollution, including under-researched rural and urban sounds.
3) Analyze, for the first time, the effects of mixed scenarios where nature and urbanism coexist, evaluating the interaction between benefits and impacts.
4) Generate scientific evidence to support urban planning policies, nature tourism and Ecological Transition strategies.
Project Description:
The QuietNature project, funded 100% by the State Budget through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), investigates the effects of immersive exposure to natural environments and noise pollution on physical and mental health, combining approaches from Psychology and Neuroscience. Centered on the Autonomous Region of the Azores, the project compares rural, urban stimuli and mixed scenarios, evaluating how contact with nature can promote well-being and even counteract the negative impacts of environmental noise. Through experimental and physiological methods, QuietNature will produce new evidence about the restorative benefits of nature, the adverse effects of unwanted sounds and the complexity of hybrid landscapes, contributing to urban planning and today's Ecological Transition challenges.
