Spatial scales of marine conservation management for breeding seabirds

OPPEL, STEFFEN; BOLTON, MARK; CARNEIRO, ANA P.B.; DIAS, MARIA P.; GREEN, JONATHAN A.; MASELLO, JUAN F.; OWEN, ELLIE; PHILLIPS, RICHARD A.; QUILLFELDT, PETRA; BEARD, ANNALEA; BERTRAND, SOPHIE; BLACKBURN, JEZ; BOERSMA, P. DEE; BORGES, ALDER; BRODERICK, ANNETTE C.; CATRY, PAULO; CLEASBY, IAN; CLINGHAM, ELIZABETH; CREUWELS, JEROEN; CROFTS, SARAH; CUTHBERT, RICHARD; DALLMEIJER, HANNEKE; DAVIES, RACHEL; DAVIES, DELIA; DILLEY, BEN J.; DINIS, HERCULANO ANDRADE; DOSSA, JUSTINE; DUNN, MICHAEL J.; EFE, MARCIO A.; FAYET, ANNETTE L.; FIGUEIREDO, LEILA; FREDERICO, ADELCIDES PEREIRA; GJERDRUM, CARINA; GODLEY, BRENDAN J.; GRANADEIRO, JOSÉ PEDRO; GUILFORD, TIM; HAMER, KEITH C.; HAZIN, CAROLINA; HEDD, APRIL; HENRY, LEEANN; HERNÁNDEZ-MONTERO, MARCOS; HINKE, JEFFERSON; KOKUBUN, NOBUO; LEAT, ELIZA; TRANQUILLA, LAURA MCFARLANE; METZGER, BENJAMIN; MILITÃO, TERESA; MONTROND, GILSON; MULLIÉ, WIM; PADGET, OLIVER; PEARMAIN, ELIZABETH J.; POLLET, INGRID L.; PÜTZ, KLEMENS; QUINTANA, FLAVIO; RATCLIFFE, NORMAN; RONCONI, ROBERT A.; RYAN, PE

Congreso; 14th International Seabird Group Conference; 2018

Knowing the spatial scales at which effective species management can be implemented is fundamental for conservation planning. We examined the space use patterns of Atlantic seabirds to provide guidance on whether conservation management approaches should be tailored for families with different movement scales. We synthesised tracking data from 5419 adult breeding individuals of 52 different species in ten families that were collected between 1998 and 2017. We quantified how far seabirds ranged from their colony, and to what extent individuals from the same colony used the same areas at sea. There was evidence for substantial differences in patterns of space use among the ten studied seabird families, indicating that several alternative conservation management approaches are needed. Several species exhibited large foraging ranges and little aggregation at sea, indicating that area-based conservation solutions would have to be extremely large to adequately protect such species. Short-ranging and aggregating species such as cormorants, auks, penguins, and gulls would benefit from conservation approaches at relatively small spatial scales during their breeding season. However, improved regulation of fisheries, bycatch, pollution and other threats over large spatial scales will be needed for wide-ranging and dispersed species such as albatrosses, petrels, storm petrels and frigatebirds.