Foreword

There are approximately 11,000 species of birds worldwide, but remarkably, only 370 are ‘seabirds’ (birds that spend most of their lives at sea). Of those, 42 are known to breed within Oceania, with 17 unique to our region. At least 21 other seabird species migrate through the Pacific Ocean utilising a vast oceanic habitat as a key part of their yearly life cycle.
Seabirds are more threatened than any other comparable group of birds and their status continues to deteriorate globally. Across the Pacific, albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters, and storm-petrels in the families Procellaridae and Oceanitidae, in particular, have experienced greater population declines than other bird families. The loss of Oceania’s seabirds also represents a loss of cultural and other values for Pacific peoples. Restoring healthy populations of seabirds will help build ecosystem resilience, support terrestrial and nearshore habitats as important carbon sinks, maintain healthy coral reefs and rebuild and retain Pacific peoples’ cultural connections with seabirds and the ocean.

However, the distribution of seabirds across the region is poorly known due to its remoteness and inaccessibility as well as the lack of regional capacity for systematic surveys. There are also some species where breeding sites have never been found such as Fiji and Beck’s Petrels and the Heinroth’s Shearwater. The existence of some species is also still in question such as the Samoan Storm-petrel, known only from one specimen, and potentially other undescribed species still to be discovered.

Seabirds are highly important to heritage, culture, totemic relationships and subsistence for many Pacific peoples. Furthermore, seabirds played a crucial role in the settlement and navigation of the Pacific with early wayfarers using their knowledge of seabirds to help chart paths between islands and across broad stretches of open ocean. Annual harvesting of chicks, adults and eggs continue to be important traditional activities for some Pacific cultures and communities. Seabirds appear in many forms of cultural expressions in the region: chants, dances, oral history, crafts, clan and community motifs and designs.

Seabirds are continuing to decline, often as the result of invasive alien species (IAS) such as cats, rats, dogs, pigs and mongoose and habitat loss from logging, invasive plants and mining. Other threats include sea level rise disturbing atoll nesting seabirds as well as overharvesting, which may be an issue for some species and locations. In addition, direct interactions from fisheries as well as indirect impacts through overfishing and fishing down the food chain may also threaten some species and populations and plastic pollution affects a wide range of seabirds who mistake plastic for food. Climate change is likely to continue to exacerbate impacts e.g. facilitating transfer of disease vectors and invasive alien species and potentially causing changes in the food chain on which these birds rely. Lastly, urbanisation can have serious impacts on seabird populations through light pollution and collisions with powerlines and other human infrastructure.

Seabird faeces (guano) has now been recognised as a critical element in the restoration of islands both on land and in the seas around them. Research has shown that the presence of seabird colonies on islands supports the resilience and recovery of coral reefs through the direct input of nutrients flowing from seabird nesting colonies. Removing predators is vital to support the re-establishment of this vital ecosystem service.

SPREP has recognised the importance of seabirds as a vital component of island biodiversity in the Pacific. For the first time SPREP has produced a Seabird Action Plan as part of the Pacific Islands Regional Marine Species Programme 2022-2026. A key part of this first action plan is to support SPREP Members, partners and others to build capacity on seabird monitoring and research. Supported by the Pacific BioScapes Programme this Seabird Survey and Monitoring Manual for Oceania will I hope provide a useful resource for Pacific people to support their endeavors to learn more about our seabirds and support the ongoing recovery of seabird populations.