Photo : Ingar Jostein Øien

Transkript

1 Paul Shimmings Consultant, BirdLife Norway International Seabird seminar Runde, Norway April 2015 Photo : Ingar Jostein Øien

2 About BirdLife Norway BirdLife Norway is the official English name of NOF Founded in county branches, 50 local branches. Ca. 600 people in various positions, mainly voluntary Over 9000 members (2014) 12 employees Secretariat has office in Trondheim Annual turnover of over NOK 16 million Four periodicals(vår Fuglefauna, Fuglevennen, Fugleåret, Ornis norvegica). Also local periodicals. Website Partner in BirdLife International (120 countries, 13 million members).

3 Main vision: Viable popualtions of all bird species in a healthy environment. Main aims: Birds and their environment shall be managed in a sustainable way. BirdLife Norway shall have good information on the occurrence and the biology of all bird species in Norway. BirdLife Norway shall be a powerful and attractive organisation with many active members. BirdLife Norway shall promote public involvement and play a visible role within its core activities. BirdLife Norway shall have an active role in international bird conservation.

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7 Velvet Scoter (EN) breeds and winters in Norway - international action plan almost complete requires monitoring and conservation measures in Norway. Steller s Eider (VU) winters in Norway BirdLife Norway carry out monitoring (financed by Norwegian Environment Agency) Long-tailed Duck (VU) breeds and winters in Norway - international action plan almost complete requires monitoring and conservation measures in Norway. Ivory Gull (NT), White-billed Diver (NT). 5 of 9 globally threatened bird species found in Norway are Norsk seabirds! Ornitologisk Forening Foreningen for fuglevern

8 Food shortages due to overfishing and climate change. Predation from American mink. Disturbance in breeding colonies. Bycatch from fisheries. Petroleum operations.

9 National action plans for the most threatened species. Establish flexible protected areas where seabirds breed. Active measures against American Mink (according to a national action plan).

10 Specific action plan towards bycatches in fisheries, in close cooperation with commercial interests, as per EU plan. Measures found to function well will result in a «win-win» situation for both the fishing industry and seabird conservation. Management measures for mportant prey fish species. Populations of several important prey species are under their natural levels due to overfishing.

11 Improved and better protection of seabirds within existing protected areas. Implementing of monitoring and conservation measures for globally threatened seabird species (i.e. seaducks). Avoid siting windfarms along important migration routes or in important feeding areas for seabirds.

12 Seabirds are considered important both within the coastal culture and as part of Norway s national identity. The public like seabirds. Seabirds are a tourism resource. Seabirds are a vital part of the marine ecosystem. Industries that negatively affect seabirds need to improve their image. Someone has to take the lead. National and international obligations.

13 Identifying important sites for birds and for biodiversity. Uses a standardised set of selection criteria. Work led by local BirdLife Partner wherever possible to ensure local and up to date knowledge for each site.

14 Twenty IBA criteria have been developed for the selection of IBAs in Europe. These allow the identification of IBAs, based on a site s international importance for: Threatened bird species Congregatory bird species Assemblages of restricted-range bird species Assemblages of biome-restricted bird species Criteria have been developed such that, by applying different ( staggered ) numerical thresholds, the international importance of a site for a species may be categorized at three distinct geographical levels: Global ( A criteria) European ( B criteria) European Union ( C criteria)

15 Over 12,000 important sites for birds and for biodiversity have been identified, covering over 200 countries and territories.

16 As BirdLife International partner then BirdLife Norway has the responsibility to update the national portfolio over Norwegian IBAs. Update completed spring To be published in BirdLife Norway s own report series.

17 As of 2015, Norway has a total of 93 IBAs, of which 76 are on the mainland or adjacent coastal areas, and a further 17 are on Svalbard and Jan Mayen. A high proportion (33%) of Norwegian IBAs are included on the national list on the basis of their importance for seabirds alone.

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19 Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAer) i Norge Oddvar Heggøy, Ingar Jostein Øien, Tomas Aarvak

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21 Site info: NO040: Runde 62 23' 56.25" N 5 37' 23.19" Ø Areal: 95,2 km 2 Fylke: Møre & Romsdal Kommune: Herøy, Ulstein

22 Site description: Runde er ei relativt stor øy i havgapet ca. 3 mil vest for Ålesund, og er landets største sjøfuglkoloni sør for Nordland (Betten & Eriksen 2013). De største hekkeforekomstene finnes langs øyas vest- og nordside, som også er de bratteste delene av øya. En del steinur finnes også i de bratte skråningene, mens toppen av øya er gresskledt og relativt flat. Mye av øya beites av sau. Hele øya og omkringliggende havområder er vernet som fuglefredningsområde, og IBA-grensene er identiske med dette verneområdet. Bestandene av havsule og storjo Stercorarius skua er i økning på Runde (SEAPOP 2014a, A.O. Folkestad pers. medd.), men for en rekke andre arter er hekkesuksessen dårlig og bestandene i fritt fall. Dette gjelder i første rekke krykkje, lomvi og lunde, men også havhest Fulmaris glacialis, toppskarv og alke sliter kraftig (Betten & Eriksen 2013). Trusler er hovedsakelig forbundet med dårlig næringstilgang, fremtidige oljeutslipp og klimaendringer, men en viss trussel utgjøres nok også av ferdsel i koloniene i hekketida.

23 Site photo: Havsula er en av få arter som har hatt en positiv bestandsutvikling på Runde det siste tiåret. Bildet viser havsulekolonien på Rundebranden. Foto: Ingar Støyle Bringsvor

24 Table important bird species: Art Årstid/Status År Pop min Pop maks Nøyaktighet Kriterier Havsule Hekkende par 3100 par God B1ii, B3 Toppskarv Hekkende par 1200 par God A4i, B1i, B3 Alke Hekkende par 1000 par Medium B1ii Lunde Hekkende par par Medium A4ii, B1ii, B2 Samlegruppe sjøfugl Hekkende par par Medium A4iii

25 The following seabird species in particular meet IBA-criteria in Norway, Svalbard & Jan Mayen: Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla Atlantic Puffin Fratercula arctica Razorbill Alca torda Brunnich s Guillemot Uria lomvia

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28 In addition to seabirds, the following bird species in particular meet IBA-criteria in Norway, Svalbard & Jan Mayen: Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis Greylag Goose Anser anser Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis Common Eider Somateria mollissima Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca

29 Just under 40% of Norwegian IBAs can be considered to be satisfactorily protected (nature reserves, bird sanctuaries). Additionally, some sites overlap only partly with existing protected areas, and in several cases there is a need to extend the boundaries to include specific areas meeting one or more of the IBA-criteria. Around 14% of Norwegian IBAs do not overlap with existing protected areas, although many of these are new sites added in 2014, and a large majority of the sites newly added to the list have no previous form of protection.

30 there is a gradual transition to a monitoring phase for all Norwegian IBAs..monitoring will mainly be carried out on a voluntary basis by BirdLife Norway s own members.

31 Will we see young Arctic Terns in the future?

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