Combining monitoring data from multiple sites to assess population status and trends of White-tailed Tropicbirds (Phaethon lepturus) in the Seychelles

April J Burt,Heather Richards,Nancy Bunbury,Nirmal Shah,Licia Calabrese,James Mcclelland,Cheryl Sanchez,Fernando Cagua,Janske Van De Crommenacker

doi:10.5751/ace-01858-160228

Abstract

Burt, A. J., F. Cagua, C. Sanchez, L. Calabrese, J. van de Crommenacker, J. McClelland, N. Shah, H. Richards, and N. Bunbury. 2021. Combining monitoring data from multiple sites to assess population status and trends of White-tailed Tropicbirds (Phaethon lepturus) in the Seychelles. Avian Conservation and Ecology 16(2):28. https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-01858-160228

Highlights

The evidence for declines in both ocean health and seabird populations is unequivocal; just 13% of the world’s oceans are relatively unaffected by human activity (Jones et al 2018), and seabirds are considered more threatened than any other comparable group of birds (Dias et al 2019)
We propose the adoption of standardized monitoring programs and increased site coverage across the Seychelles and the broader Western Indian Ocean
The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region has recently been identified by scientists as a key area to prioritize for the conservation of global marine biodiversity in the face of the climate crisis (Ramírez et al 2017)

Summary

Introduction

The evidence for declines in both ocean health and seabird populations is unequivocal; just 13% of the world’s oceans are relatively unaffected by human activity (Jones et al 2018), and seabirds are considered more threatened than any other comparable group of birds (Dias et al 2019). Being long-lived top marine predators, seabirds are considered valuable environmental indicators (Einoder 2009) When monitored, they provide both a measure of health of that species as well as an indication of the overall state of the surrounding ecosystem (Piatt et al 2007, Parsons et al 2008). The Seychelles islands are the main breeding ground for White-tailed Tropicbirds (Phaethon lepturus), with an estimated 6500 breeding pairs, and 56% of the WIO breeding population (Le Corre et al 2012). Breeding populations of this species are monitored on a number of Seychelles islands, primarily because P. lepturus is one of the most ubiquitous seabird species and accessible to monitor. It is considered by conservation practitioners to be an important indicator species (Burger and Lawrence 2000a), whose status reflects or predicts the condition of the broader marine environment

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