Seabird Species Project

A Charles Darwin Foundation initiative we will help.

Galapagos penguins, Flightless cormorants, and Waved albatross are some of the most recognized and extraordinary birds in Galapagos. Each are endemic and listed as threatened on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. Threats such as relatively slow reproduction, restricted range, climate change, introduced species, pathogens, pollution and anthropogenic activity put these species at immediate risk of population decline. In order to conserve these seabirds, population monitoring efforts are essential creating informed management decisions.

The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF), the Seabirds Project assists the Galapagos National Park Directorate (GNPD) in the long-term conservation and protection of the Galapagos penguin, Flightless cormorant, and Waved albatross. Project goals are to establish current population statistics and monitor patterns over time. With over 10 years of data on these species, CDF has been able to provide crucial population statistics to ensure the long-term conservation and protection of these species. This information has also been used to better understand wider ecosystem health of the Galapagos and the effects of climate change.

Penguin and cormorant monitoring is carried out three times annually at selected zones around Isabela, Fernandina and Marielas islands, and annually at Punta Suárez on Española Island for albatross. We are currently acquiring data on survival, mortality and reproduction rates, including data on ecology and epidemiology to assess the impact of environmental threats on these species.

In 2021 the Seabird Species Project reported the highest numbers of Galapagos penguin and cormorant populations recorded to date. Regardless of these findings, CDF also has documented the effect of introduced species in seabird breeding areas which has allowed the GNPD to take action to better their habitat management.

Keep reading more about the project here: https://www.darwinfoundation.org/en/research/projects/marine-birds