Workshops

Daisy Burnell, Joint Nature Conservation Committee; Tom Hart, University of Oxford

To effectively conserve seabird diversity for the future, good data are necessary to provide evidence on potential negative impacts of pressures, but also the positive effects of conservation initiatives. The backing and or engagement of the local communities where conservation strategies are needed or being implemented, is also essential. By encouraging citizens to engage in active monitoring of seabirds and providing them with support, you empower them to take responsibility and ownership of their conservation, while gathering vital data on aspects of seabird ecology. With innovative technologies such as: remote cameras, drones, and data recording apps, coupled with communication tailored to reach wide audiences, the barriers once inhibiting such surveys are minimised. The aim of this workshop will be to provide a capacity building platform to facilitate communication between existing schemes and assist in the generation of new projects.

Jeannette Zamon, NOAA Fisheries; Jeff Shenot, NOAA Fisheries

Individuals in various maritime industries (e.g. ocean energy, research, fishing, eco-tourism, shipping) have been aware of seabirds attracted to lighting and colliding with structures or vessels for quite some time. However, the degree of negative impact to seabirds and the circumstances under which this happens at sea are not well understood. Any collision-reduction strategies must take into account navigational, safety, and work requirements for lighting. The purpose of this workshop would be to bring together interested parties (including voluntary non-scientific industry partners) to explore this issue further and generate a list of prioritized recommendations for future evaluation this resource conservation issue.

Click here to review the agenda for the workshop.

Peter Hodum, University of Puget Sound and Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge; Matthieu Le Corre, Université de La Réunion; Patrick Pinet, Parc National de La Réunion, LIFE& PETRELS

Community-based education and outreach programs are an essential component of long-term conservation strategies in places where humans co-exist with wildlife. With increasing threats of climate change, invasive species and other anthropogenic impacts, there is a compelling need for local communities not only to support but also to engage in efforts to conserve many seabird populations. Building on the successful symposium and discussion on community-based seabird conservation held at WSC2 in 2015, the goals of this applied workshop are to: (1) develop a network of seabird conservation practitioners to share experiences, methodologies, tools, activities and other resources to advance community-based seabird conservation, (2) create a database of global community-based seabird conservation programs, (3) identify barriers to effective community-based programs and tools to overcome them, (4) discuss best practices on engaging communities in conservation, and (5) create a toolbox of assessment tools to evaluate outcomes and effectiveness of community-based actions. We envision this workshop building on the 2015 symposium and creating resources that will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of programs focused on enhancing the knowledge and capacity of local communities to address issues relevant to the long-term conservation of seabirds.​

Mona Doss, Wildlife Acoustics; Dave Roberts, Wildlife Acoustics; Mike Vandentillaart, Lotek; Sarah Deans, Lotek; Andre Raine, Archipelago Research and Conservation (ARC); Allison Patterson, McGill University

Description

This workshop will cover two technologies often used with seabirds: acoustics and tracking.

Part 1: Using Bioacoustics: What can Sound Reveal? (2 hours)

This workshop will discuss how to use sound measurements for environmental management projects such as time of arrival/departure of migratory species, population census, and biological diversity.  We will cover the principals of sound, the equipment needed for acoustic research and monitoring of seabirds, and software tools/approaches for data analysis.  Attendees will leave with a good understanding of:

• The basics of sound
• How to view wildlife audio recordings on a spectrogram
• How to automatically scan recordings for bird calls and species inventory
• Advice from the Field: Endangered Seabird Recovery on Kaua’I, Hawaii, USA

Part 2: Using tracking devices to understand seabird species behaviour (1 hours)

This workshop will discuss up to date technologies being used by seabird researchers in different countries and for different purposes. We will discuss the best technologies to understand home range, foraging behaviour and migration. Attendees will leave with good understanding of:

• The technologies that are out there for seabird tracking
• The best technology for their study objectives
• Attachment methods with regards to weight, technology, size
• Case studies of the different technologies
• Tests before deployment

Graeme Taylor, New Zealand Department of Conservation; Graham Parker, Parker Conservation

The purpose of this workshop is to gather people who have had practical experience with deploying recording instruments to monitor bird activity in remote sites.  The aim is to understand more about the successes and failures with different types of technology. What works and what didn’t. What information was gathered that would not be possible to obtain by other means where it is not possible to set up field bases.

Karen Evans, Samantha Simmons, Tammy Davies, Lavy Ranarajah

Ocean observing is essential for understanding how biodiversity and society are affected by human use and climate change. Relevant changes in marine biodiversity, ecosystem function, and the services they provide can be detected by monitoring some of their essential variables. Long-term monitoring of Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) represents a feasible and impactful way to effectively mitigate or manage adverse changes, help predict potential changes, and link science to policy.

Seabirds are an Essential Ocean Variable because they are wide-ranging, relatively long-lived, interact with and influence population dynamics and distribution of numerous prey species and thus play a crucial role in maintaining the health of their ecosystems. Monitoring the distribution and abundance of seabirds, as part of a global ocean observing system for marine biodiversity, is in the initial phase of development.

This workshop will provide an opportunity to contribute to the development of the concept of seabirds as an Essential Ocean Variable. An overview of the aims of the Global Ocean Observing System, and work completed to date will be presented. There will then be opportunities to highlight data, brainstorm ideas, and shape how the program moves forward.

Carina Gjerdrum, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service; Karel Allard, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service

Please note – there is a maximum of 60 participants for this workshop.  If you are unable to join due to maximum capacity, the workshop will be recorded and available for viewing after.

Seabirds are among the most threatened bird groups on the planet, but barriers persist that compromise our best efforts to achieve desired conservation outcomes.  Projects are often isolated from one another and from broader conservation opportunities, and strategies may not include the effectiveness monitoring needed to demonstrate progress. Participants of this workshop will be introduced to a well-supported and openly accessible, standard framework approach to conservation: the Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation (OS).  Developed by the Conservation Measures Partnership in 2004, the OS approach aims to achieve more efficient and effective conservation efforts, and has been adopted by leading organizations and agencies globally.  Workshop participants will learn how the adoption of OS can improve consistency in collaborative planning, implementation and monitoring, through adoption of common standard language, metrics and framework. This approach can enhance decision support and effective integration of conservation efforts across species, spatial scales, mandates, and jurisdictions.  Participants will work collaboratively using a real-world example of a conceptual model for marine birds with defined conservation targets, ranked threats, and prioritized strategies for conservation actions.  This workshop will help conservation teams understand how to apply the OS to overcome barriers to marine bird conservation, and to track the effectiveness of conservation strategies that are implemented.

Yat-tung Yu, Hong Kong Bird Watching Society; Robb Kaler, US Fish & Wildlife Service

The East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) is a region covering Russia and Alaska in the north, extending through East Asia, to Australia and New Zealand in the south. This region has recorded over 150 seabird species. Some species are abundanct but several are highly threatened, such as Chinese Crested Tern (Critically Endangered), Christmas Island Frigatebird (Critically Endangered) and Short-tailed Albatross (Vulnerable). The EAAFP Seabird Working Group (EAAFP SWG) was firstly established in 2007 to assist in the coordination of conservation activities through promoting, facilitating and harmonizing seabird conservation, education and research activities in the flyway.

The 3^rd World Seabird Conference will be held in EAAF region for the first time and we believe many seabird researchers from the flyway will attend this conference. This will be valuable opportunity to promote the EAAFP SWG to seabird scientists in this region and other interested stakeholders. Many aspects of seabirds and their life history in the region are largely unknown and conservation activities to safeguard those highly threatened species are yet to be fully understood and implemented. In this workshop, seabird scientists and EAAFP SWG can discuss how to better share experiences and information, discuss how to promote and streamline seabird research in the region and encourage greater international collaborations of seabird projects.

Lynn Miller, NZ Bird Rescue; Mark Pokras, Tufts University

By exploring a standardized approach to necropsies, data can be gathered that aid all established and upcoming researchers when exploring the anatomy and morphology of seabird species. The practical portion will cover a demonstration of the necropsy process, highlighting landmarks and data collection techniques for seabirds. Cadavers will be available for attendees to practice on, while working alongside and comparing species differences other attendees.  Ultimately, the goal to develop a data bank will be the final discussion.   The data bank can house all necropsy reports, including photos and graphics, and provide a rich source of practical knowledge, historical and potential points indicating evolving shifts in anatomy and structure to the seabird research community.