Advances in tracking data (animal-borne devices collecting location data) are providing unparalleled insights into animal movement and behaviour, particularly for migratory marine species. Long-term tracking is now routine for many marine taxa, including fish
The conservation of migratory marine species, including pelagic seabirds, is challenging because their movements span vast distances frequently beyond national jurisdictions. Here, we aim to identify important aggregations of seabirds in the North Atlantic to inform ongoing regional conservation efforts
Migratory marine species cross political borders and enter the high seas, where the lack of an effective global management framework for biodiversity leaves them vulnerable to threats. Here, we combine 10,108 tracks from 5775 individual birds at 87 sites with data on breeding population sizes to estimate the relative year-round importance of national jurisdictions and high seas areas for 39 species of albatrosses and large petrels
The high seas occupy approximately half of the planet. Yet, we know much less about this vast part of the ocean than any other area of the globe. The high seas are also poorly protected because there is no global regulatory framework for conservation or even sustainable use of natural resources in his area
BirdLife has been a key stakeholder in the Convention on Biological Diversity-led process to describe Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs). We have compiled seabird tracking data and provided information on relevant marine IBAs
Seabirds are both terrestrial and marine animals. They depend on both realms to survive – and so they are also affected by threats in both environments. Read More
All migratory seabirds have one thing in common: on their incredible journeys, they connect different areas of the ocean that may be thousands of kilometers apart. Read More
Enhanced management of areas important for marine biodiversity are now obligations under a range of international treaties. Tracking data provide unparalleled information on the distribution of marine taxa, but there are no agreed guidelines that ensure these data are used consistently to identify biodiversity hotspots and inform marine management decisions
Anthropogenic climate change is altering the geographical distribution and regular movements of species. Highly-mobile pelagic seabirds, such as albatrosses, are particularly threatened by human activities, such as fisheries bycatch. Predicting the impact of climate change on how these animals roam the ocean is an important step towards making informed conservation decisions
Marine protected areas can serve to regulate harvesting and conserve biodiversity. Within large multi-use MPAs, it is often unclear to what degree critical sites of biodiversity are afforded protection against commercial activities. Addressing this issue is a prerequisite if we are to appropriately assess sites against conservation targets
We present the first objective quantitative assessment of the threats to all 359 species of seabirds, identify the main challenges facing them, and outline priority actions for their conservation. We applied the standardised Threats Classification Scheme developed for the IUCN Red List to objectively assess threats to each species and analysed the data according to global IUCN threat status
Here we develop a methodological framework for estimating population level density distributions of seabirds, integrating tracking data across the main life-history stages (adult breeders and non-breeders, juveniles and immatures). We incorporate demographic information (adult and juvenile/immature survival
A major hotspot for foraging seabirds in the North Atlantic estimated to be used by more than 5 million seabirds from 21 species throughout the year, with birds coming from at least 56 colonies in 16 different countries is being considered by the OSPAR Convention for designation as a marine protected area called the North Atlantic Current and Evlanov Seamount (NACES) MPA
