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Falklands Conservation |
Defining Important Areas for Birds at Sea
On 1st February 2008 Falklands Conservation started a new project to define the most important areas for seabirds in the waters surrounding the Falkland Islands. This will inform proposals to establish multi-use Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and extend National Nature Reserves (NNRs) to marine areas.
Knowledge of the inshore marine environment in the Falkland Islands is particularly poor, leading to a lack of areas designated as the most important for wildlife. Such information is vital if the effects that human based activities such as inshore-fishing, aquaculture or oil exploration may have on marine life are to be effectively managed and the globally important seabird populations of the Falkland Islands safeguarded.
Scientific programmes have already studied the foraging ranges of penguins and albatross, but no analysis has co-ordinated all available information to highlight important bird usage areas. This project will analyse all data that has been collected for foraging seabird species: rockhopper, gentoo, and Magellanic penguins during the breeding season, gentoo penguins during winter, and black-browed albatross during their chick-rearing period.
Black-browed Albatross and Rockhopper penguins, two Falkland seabirds with declining populations, which will benefit from this work
The result will be a provisional map of marine IBAs in the Falkland Islands, drawn up under BirdLife International guidelines. It will meet a number of priorities under the Agreement for the Conservation of Albatross and Petrels (ACAP), which obliges the Falkland Islands and UK Governments to preserve and protect breeding populations of the listed species.
Isaac Forster, previously our Albatross and Petrels Project Officer, who is undertaking this year-long project says: 'The production of this document will give clear assistance in protecting globally threatened seabird species found in Falkland waters from the potentially detrimental effects of resource exploration and industrial fishing activities'. Isaac will be based in the UK to enable close collaboration with the University of Glasgow who are providing technical support and expertise. Funds to support this work have been provided by the Falkland Islands Oil and Gas Exploration Group, the Falkland Islands Government and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.
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Patron: HRH The Duke of York CVO ADC Member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature | BirdLife International Representative |