Scottish Seabird Conservation Action Plan: first annual progress report

Introduction

In recognition of the long-term declines of seabirds in Scotland, the Scottish Seabird Conservation Action Plan (hereafter referred to as “Seabird CAP”) was developed to set out a framework and priority actions to support seabird recovery and build resilience to our changing world. This report sets out the progress that has been made in the first year since publication of the Seabird CAP in August 2025.

Efforts to safeguard seabird populations are multi-faceted and chime with Scotland’s ambitions to transition to net zero, be nature positive, restore and regenerate biodiversity, deliver sustainable fisheries and well-placed marine development, and to achieve and maintain Good Environmental Status (GES) for our seas. This is why collaboration is at the heart of the Seabird CAP; seabird conservation requires the coordinated effort of many stakeholders, including Scottish Government, its agencies, Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), marine industries, local communities, academia and the tourism sector.

Seabirds are long-lived species that spend most of their time at sea, in many cases only coming to land to breed. This means that seabird populations are affected by a wide range of pressures, not just in Scottish waters during the breeding season but also from further afield during migration and over winter.

The pressures that seabirds are most vulnerable to whilst in Scottish waters or attending colonies (Figure 1) act on seabirds in three main ways; on their food supplies, availability of safe breeding and foraging habitats, or through direct mortality. These therefore form the broad priority themes for action, which are supported by research, raising awareness and international collaboration.

Following publication of the Seabird CAP, the Seabird Conservation Action Plan Delivery Partnership was established to provide national leadership and help steer and oversee delivery of the Seabird CAP. Chaired by the Scottish Government, the group includes representatives from the Aberdeen Fish Producer’s Organisation, British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Crown Estate Scotland (CES), Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), National Trust for Scotland (NTS), NatureScot, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF), Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund (SMEEF), Scottish Renewables and the Scottish Seabird Centre.

This annual report sets out the collective progress made in the first year to put in place the necessary foundations needed to deliver the actions within the Seabird CAP. Of the 50 actions, initial progress towards delivery has been made on 36 actions, tackling a range of pressures which impact Scotland’s seabirds. However, whilst having the Seabird CAP in place has enabled positive progress, it is important to recognise that it is only once these actions are fully implemented that we will be able to see meaningful improvements for Scotland’s internationally important seabird populations.

Diagram outlining main pressures and threats acting on seabirds in Scotland affecting the three themes. These themes are threats to plentiful food supply, threats to safe breeding and foraging habitats and threats leading to mortality.