Published March 3, 2021 | Version v1
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Global political responsibility for the conservation of albatrosses and large petrels

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Paper published in Science Advances, March 3rd, 2021. 

Abstract

Migratory marine species cross political borders and enter the high seas, where the lack of an effective global management framework for biodiversity leaves them vulnerable to threats. Here, we combine 10,108 tracks from 5775 individual birds at 87 sites with data on breeding population sizes to estimate the relative year-round importance of national jurisdictions and high seas areas for 39 species of albatrosses and large petrels. Populations from every country made extensive use of the high seas, indicating the stake each country has in the management of biodiversity in international waters. We quantified the links among national populations of these threatened seabirds and the regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) which regulate fishing in the high seas. This work makes explicit the relative responsibilities that each country and RFMO has for the management of shared biodiversity, providing invaluable information for the conservation and management of migratory species in the marine realm.

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This communication reflects only the authors' view and the Research Executive Agency of the European Union is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

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Dataset: 10.5281/zenodo.4495388 (DOI)

Funding

Inspire4Nature – INternational training at the Science-Policy Interface for Researchers in Europe, for Nature 766417
European Commission