Scottish seabird conservation action plan: island communities impact assessment

1. Step One – Develop a clear understanding of your objectives

1.1 Background

Scotland’s coastline and waters are of global importance to seabirds. The 24 species of seabird regularly breeding in Scotland include approximately 60% of the world’s breeding population of great skua, 46% of the world’s northern gannet and 16% of the world’s Manx shearwater. As top predators, seabirds are indicators of the health of marine ecosystems, playing a crucial role in maintaining balance within marine food webs. Seabirds also have a significant role in the economy and our cultural identity, supporting a thriving tourism industry that is vital to local economies, particularly in rural and island communities.

However, it is evident that seabirds in Scotland are in trouble. Data shows the extent of their sizeable population decline, with contributing factors including climate change and disease.

1.2 What are the objectives of the policy, strategy or service?

The Scottish Seabird Conservation Action Plan will take priority action aimed at building seabird resilience and coordinating collective efforts to achieve this. By 2045, with the implementation of this action plan, it is hoped that Scotland’s seabird colonies are thriving and showing improved resilience and adaptation to climate change. Among the objectives of the plan are ensuring plentiful food supplies for seabirds, restoring and improving habitats, building resilience and maximising survival. Alongside this, conservation research and a coordinated monitoring programme will help to build evidence and understanding of seabird status and the effectiveness of managing the threats and pressures facing them. With these objectives in place, the action plan will raise awareness of the importance of Scotland’s seabirds, fostering societal behavioural changes that promote their long-term protection, and allow Scotland to be a key international partner in contributing to the enhancement, understanding and protection of seabird populations.

The action plan provides the linchpin for seabird conservation across multiple workstreams bringing together in one place the sum of actions that are already ongoing with suggestions for actions which can be taken forward by the relevant organisation in the future. As such, the action plan will inform all interested parties, including Scottish Government, regulatory authorities, industry sectors, land-managers, non-government organisations, academia and the general public. The action plan seeks to ensure conservation actions are integrated and remain focused on the long-term survival of seabird populations and their habitats.

As the action plan does not introduce new policy, it will not impact island communities more significantly than those on the mainland. If individual actions are taken forward, their potential impacts on island communities will be assessed at this stage.