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Indicator: AAT-09 Seabird populations

Data

• Number of breeding pairs of Adelie Penguins - Shirley Island (near Casey) (Excel - 17 KB) 

• Number of breeding pairs of Adelie Penguins - Bechervaise Island (near Mawson) (Excel - 17 KB) 

• Number of breeding pairs of Adelie Penguins - Whitney Point (near Casey) (Excel - 17 KB) 

• Number of breeding pairs of King Penguins on Heard Island (Excel - 19 KB) 

• Number of breeding pairs of Southern Giant Petrel - Hawker Island (near Davis) (Excel - 18 KB) 

• Number of breeding pairs of Southern Giant Petrel - Frazier Islands (near Casey) (Excel - 18 KB) 

• Number of breeding pairs of Southern Giant Petrel - Giganteus Island (near Mawson) (Excel - 18 KB) 

What the data mean

Adelie Penguin populations throughout East Antarctica have shown sustained, long-term increases for the past 30 or more years; in contrast, populations elsewhere around the Antarctic and on the Antarctic Peninsula have exhibited decreases or no clear long-term trends. Adelie penguin populations in East Antarctica are presently showing long-term (30-50 year) increases at regional scales. While some populations show inter-annual variability, regional populations (e.g. the Mawson coastline) are increasing in the longer term. For the Casey region, the total breeding population has more than trebled since the early 1960s. Similar long-term increases have been reported by French researchers for Adelie Land.

• Regional populations of Adelie penguins in the vicinity of Casey, Davis and Mawson. 

The King Penguin breeding population at Heard Island has increased at almost 20% per year since the late 1940s; other King Penguin populations throughout the Southern Ocean have also increased, but not as rapidly. The population increase at Heard Island is one of the fastest known for any Southern Ocean seabird. Where long-term datasets are available for other breeding locations, King Penguin populations are increasing throughout the Southern Ocean.

• Breeding population of King Penguins at Heard Island 

All Southern Giant Petrel breeding populations in the AAT and at Heard and McDonald Islands decreased following their discovery. Human disturbance has been implicated in the observed decreases at all three Southern Giant Petrel breeding sites within the AAT; they are highly sensitive to human disturbance. This disturbance arose primarily through early efforts (1950s-1970s) to band adults and chicks at the nest. Southern Giant Petrels breeding in the AAT are particularly sensitive to disturbance at the nest. Restrictions in activities permitted at breeding sites, including a prohibition of banding, were introduced in the mid-1980s with signs of some recovery in populations.

• Breeding population of the Southern Giant Petrel at Heard Island, the McDonald Islands and within the AAT 

Data Limitations

Greater coverage of colonies throughout the AAT would provide a more accurate estimate of the total annual breeding population in East Antarctica and account better for movement between breeding colonies.

Issues for which this is an indicator and why

Australian Antarctic Territory — Environment - Marine ecosystems 

Seabird populations can act as an indicator of the impact of various factors. Seabird populations are related to resource availability (nesting space and food), behavioural mechanisms (immigration/emigration and breeding effort/success) in addition to climate change and human impacts (fisheries, tourism, pollution, disturbance).

Other indicators for this issue:

• AAT-08 Plankton populations 
• AAT-10 seal populations 
• AAT-11 Whale populations 
• CO-02 Number of marine species that are endangered or threatened and changes in population/ distribution of selected threatened species 
• BD-02 Conservation status of nationally significant species and ecological communities, compared with previous years 
• BD-04 Listed threatened species or ecological communities for which recovery action is showing stable or increasing populations 

Biodiversity — Species, habitats and ecological communities - Conservation status of species and ecological communities 

Seabird populations are related to resource availability (food), behavioural mechanisms (immigration/emigration and breeding effort/success) in addition to climate change and human impacts (fisheries, tourism, pollution, disturbance), and are an indicator of pressures on biodiversity in the AAT and in the world’s oceans more generally.

Other indicators for this issue:

• BD-02 Conservation status of nationally significant species and ecological communities, compared with previous years 
• BD-04 Listed threatened species or ecological communities for which recovery action is showing stable or increasing populations 
• IW-30 Macroinvertebrate condition 
• IW-31 Fish - Abundance and distribution 
• IW-32 Frogs - Abundance and distribution 
• IW-33 Abundance and distribution of waterbirds 
• CO-01 Trends in selected groups of coastal and marine species and habitats 
• CO-02 Number of marine species that are endangered or threatened and changes in population/ distribution of selected threatened species 
• CO-16 Status of Australian fisheries 
• LD-01 The proportion and area of native vegetation and changes over time 
• AAT-08 Plankton populations 
• AAT-10 seal populations 
• AAT-11 Whale populations 
• AAT-12 Changes in colonies of plants on Heard Island 

Biodiversity — Species, habitats and ecological communities - Condition of marine biodiversity: Condition of species, habitat and ecological communities 

Seabird populations are related to resource availability (food), behavioural mechanisms (immigration/emigration and breeding effort/success) in addition to climate change and human impacts (fisheries, tourism, pollution, disturbance), and are an indicator of the condition of marine biodiversity in the AAT and in the world’s oceans more generally.

Other indicators for this issue:

• CO-01 Trends in selected groups of coastal and marine species and habitats 
• CO-02 Number of marine species that are endangered or threatened and changes in population/ distribution of selected threatened species 
• BD-02 Conservation status of nationally significant species and ecological communities, compared with previous years 
• BD-04 Listed threatened species or ecological communities for which recovery action is showing stable or increasing populations 
• AAT-08 Plankton populations 
• AAT-10 seal populations 
• AAT-11 Whale populations 
• AAT-12 Changes in colonies of plants on Heard Island 

Coasts and Oceans — Condition of the ocean and coastal waters - Condition of species, habitats and ecosystems 

Seabird populations are related to resource availability (food), behavioural mechanisms (immigration/emigration and breeding effort/success) in addition to climate change and human impacts (fisheries, tourism, pollution, disturbance), and are an indicator of the condition of marine biodiversity in the AAT and in the world’s oceans more generally.

Other indicators for this issue:

• CO-01 Trends in selected groups of coastal and marine species and habitats 
• CO-02 Number of marine species that are endangered or threatened and changes in population/ distribution of selected threatened species 
• BD-02 Conservation status of nationally significant species and ecological communities, compared with previous years 
• BD-04 Listed threatened species or ecological communities for which recovery action is showing stable or increasing populations 
• AAT-08 Plankton populations 
• AAT-10 seal populations 
• AAT-11 Whale populations 

Further Information

Source: Woehler EJ (in press) ,Status and conservation of the seabirds of Heard Island, Surrey Beatty, Sydney.

Source: Woehler EJ, Riddle MJ and Ribic CA 2003, Long-term population trends in southern giant petrels in East Antarctica, Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands.