PENGUIN STATUS IN TROUBLED OCEANS

GARCÍA BORBOROGLU, PABLO; BOERSMA, DEE; TRATHAN, PHIL; PUTZ, KLEMENS; WIENECKE, BARBARA; LE MAHO, YVON; KOOYMAN, GERRY; MATTERN, THOMAS; CRAWFORD, ROBERT; UNDERHILL, L.; KEMPER, JESSICA; DANN, PETER; ELLENBER, URSULA; SEDDON, PHIL; VAN HEEZIK, YOLANDA; 13 AUTHORS MORE

Victoria

Congreso; 1st World Seabird Congress; 2010

Birdlife International

Marine and coastal ecosystems are undergoing unprecedented alterations in their processes and structure. Penguins are sensitive species impacted by these phenomena. As top predators, they are key constituents of marine ecosystems, and are indicators of the oceanic and coastal ecosystem health. We integrated the most updated information on distribution, abundance and trends for all penguin species. IUCN listed 60% of the 18 penguin species as vulnerable or endangered. Some threatened species are at their lowest recorded populations: Galapagos, Yellow-eyed and Fiordland, with their restricted ranges, have less than 3,000 pairs; Humboldt, Snares and African, have less than 30,000 pairs. Even abundant species like the Macaroni, and Rockhopper penguins are in steep decline. Around 80% of the threatened species occur on islands, increasing their vulnerability to threats such as introduced predators. Threatened penguins are mainly concentrated in New Zealand, East-Pacific Coast (Galapagos and Peru-Chile), and South-Africa. The status of penguin species is not improving. Anthropogenic sources of mortality are likely to increase and are drivers of the decline of penguins. Oceanic threats include climate change, marine pollution, and fisheries mismanagement. Prey availability potentially linked to climate variation is one of the most commonly suggested causes of population decline. Human activities, including irresponsible tourism, coastal development, and introduced predators, can have a major impact on penguin populations. As ocean samplers, penguins provide insight into the magnitude and location of marine conservation problems. Larger scale ecosystem-based conservation planning and more focused local efforts are needed for the successful conservation of many penguin species.