Work

Breeding bird species richness and sensitivity to disturbance at Antarctic visitor sites

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Tourism in Antarctica is increasing rapidly and is concentrated predominantly in ice-free areas in the Antarctic Peninsula region, an area that holds globally important colonies of breeding birds. Since 2005, the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM), which provides governance for the continent, has developed Visitor Site Guidelines that detail practical information for visitor management. In parallel, the ATCM has worked to develop methods to assess site sensitivity to inform visitor site management, but none have been formally agreed. With the expansion of tourism operations, there is an urgent need for site-specific information to enable policymakers to minimize disturbance at visitor sites, particularly to breeding seabirds. Responding to this need, we assessed the sensitivity of bird species known to breed at each landing site with ATCM Visitor Site Guidelines. We collated available data on breeding cycles for each site, identifying the most sensitive periods for individual bird species. The information was combined to determine species richness and the periods of heightened sensitivity to disturbance overall and for each visitor site. Our data showed that the most sensitive bird breeding stages overlapped with the summer peak in tourist landings at visitor sites. We recommend that these site-specific data be used to refine tourism management by the ATCM, including revision of existing and development of new Visitor Site Guidelines. Future studies could help improve sensitivity assessment by collecting data on distribution and numbers of breeding birds and hauled-out seals within visited areas, and carrying out cross-species comparisons of effects of disturbance. • Antarctic coastal sites provide crucial breeding habitats for seabirds. • High human visitation can disturb birds and reduce breeding success. • Bird species richness and breeding times were collated for 41 visitor sites. • At all sites, periods of high bird sensitivity coincided with high human visitation. • Bird sensitivity data can inform policy recommendations to minimize disturbance.

Source: Journal of Environmental Management

DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.127971

Authors: Daniela Cajiao, Richard A. Phillips, Jasmine R. Lee, Kevin A. Hughes

Institutions: Wageningen University & Research, British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Queensland University of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Avian ecology and behavior

Subfield: Ecology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Life on land

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,750