Warming planet set to sink puffin populations - Zoological Society of London
The iconic Atlantic puffin is among numerous European seabirds at risk from climate change, according to new research led by ZSL (The Zoological Society of London).
Reduced food accessibility and prolonged periods of stormy weather caused by climate change could see 68% of the beloved bird’s nesting sites in Western Europe lost by the end of the century, while razorbills and arctic terns face losing as much as 80% and 87% of their breeding grounds respectively – unless urgent measures are taken.
To address these and other climate change threats, researchers from ZSL and the University of Cambridge have today (8 December) published a first-of-its-kind conservation guide to protecting the 47 species that breed along the Atlantic coastline; offering hope for the future of these important marine birds, by assessing their species-specific needs and laying out the actions needed to preserve each one.
For example, research shows how puffins can be successfully encouraged to inhabit new, suitable breeding areas by placing model birds at potential nesting sites, while conservationists have had more success with gulls by introducing man-made nesting platforms; as climate change threatens heatwaves and plummeting fish populations, these actions could be key in relocating vulnerable birds to safer locations.
ZSL Institute of Zoology post-doctoral fellow, Henry Häkkinen, who led the production of the guidelines, said: “It’s unthinkable that the Atlantic puffin, one of Europe’s most treasured seabirds, could disappear from our shores by the end of the century - alongside other important marine bird species. Seabirds are one of the most threatened groups of birds in the world, with many already seeing rapid global declines due to the impacts of human activity and climate change, including changes to food availability, extreme weather conditions and the loss of breeding grounds. These birds face double the challenges as they breed on land but rely on the sea for survival; by living across these two worlds, they are essential to both ecosystems and give us a glimpse into the health of wildlife in otherwise hard-to-monitor areas of the ocean – meaning their loss would impact countless other species and their conservation.”
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Posted On: 08/12/2022