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Read about recent developments and findings in procellariiform science and conservation relevant to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels in ACAP Latest News.

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The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds will celebrate the first World Albatross Day next week

SANCCOB logo round

The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) has been in existence for over 50 years and has treated almost 100 000 seabirds, mostly Endangered African Penguins, but also over 35 different species of other seabirds and coastal birds.

SANCCOB’s mission is to reverse the decline of seabird populations through the rescue, rehabilitation and release of ill, injured, abandoned and oiled seabirds.  SANCCOB is also active in protecting seabird colonies and works closely with its partners (including government, conservation authorities and like-minded NGOs) in advocating the protection of seabirds in the wild and securing food availability.

SANCCOB Shy Albatross

Nola Parsons bands a Shy Albatross at SANCCOB's Cape Town rescue centre in 2012, photograph by SANCCOB

SANCCOB mostly admits South African coastal species, such as African Penguins, Cape Gannets, gulls, terns and cormorants for rehabilitation.  But the excitement is great when we do admit an albatross species.  Unfortunately, they mostly come in very weak or with fisheries-related injuries.  Over the last 20 years, SANCCOB has admitted 22 albatrosses of six different species (Atlantic and Indian Yellow-nosed, Black-browed, Grey-headed, Shy and Sooty).  Most of these birds were released after a few days in care as albatrosses do not do well in rehabilitation and are much better off out in the wild.  SANCCOB is looking forward to celebrating the first World Albatross Day this month and wishes ACAP and all its partners a successful year ahead.

SANCCOB IYNA.X ray

Getting an Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross ready for an X-ray in 2019, photograph by David Roberts, SANCCOB

SANCCOB IYNA Bumblefoot 

An Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross with bandages to treat bumblefoot in 2019; the bird was successfully released back into the wild, photograph by Marzia Antonellil

Dr Katta Ludynia, Research Manager, SANCCOB, Cape Town, South Africa, 12 June 2020

The East Asian - Australasian Flyway Partnership Seabird Working Group writes in support of next week’s World Albatross Day

EAAFP Logo 

Adopted in the list of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 as a Type II initiative which is informal and voluntary, the East Asian - Australasian Flyway Partnership was launched on 6 November 2006.  The Partnership aims to protect migratory waterbirds, their habitats and the livelihoods of people dependent upon them.  There are currently 37 Partners including 18 countries, six intergovernmental agencies, 11 international non-governmental organizations (iNGOs), one international organization and one international private enterprise.  The EAAFP developed the Flyway Site Network of international importance for the conservation of migratory waterbirds, in which 147 sites had joined the network as of 8 June 2020.  There are seven Working Groups and nine Task Forces to facilitate conservation work in the flyway.

The EAAFP Seabird Working Group (SWG) was established in 2007 to assist in the coordination of conservation activities across the flyway through promoting, facilitating, coordinating and harmonizing seabird conservation, education, and research activities.

Robb Kaler, Chair, EAAFP Seabird Working Group

Robert (Robb) Kaler, Chair of the SWG, writes to ACAP Latest News:

“The largest of seabirds, albatrosses are masters of gliding flight, sailing over the ocean for hours with no perceptible movement of their outstretched wings.  Behavioural and physiological adaptations allow albatrosses to forage at great distances from their nesting areas on isolated and remote islands.  Some albatross species were heavily hunted on their breeding islands for the feather trade during the early 1900s and populations were seriously reduced.  Albatross populations have bounced back but continue to be impacted by interactions with longline fisheries and exposure to marine pollution and plastics.  With support from international initiatives such as the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP), which encourages participants to join the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatross and Petrels (ACAP), we will ensure that future generations will have a chance to see these and the other amazing ocean wanderers which connect us and our oceans.”

Read more of EAAFP’s support for ‘WAD2020’ here.

With thanks to Vivian Fu, Communication Officer, East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership Secretariat.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 12 June 2020

Last call for entries to World Albatross Day’s Great Albicake Bake Off!

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“Apocalyptic Nightmare” by ACAP Executive Secretary, Christine Bogle

With just one weekend to go, this is the last call to get your baking mojo going and submit an entry to the inaugural World Albatross Day Great Albicake Bake Off by close of day on Monday 15 June.

Announced on 20 May and with over 25 entries already received, all the cake images and descriptions will be sent to the three judges early next week with the hope that the winners in each category can be announced on or shortly after World Albatross Day on Friday 19 June.

Christine Bogle, ACAP’s Executive Secretary, has rallied to the call, baking and decorating her own albicake entitled “Apocalyptic Nightmare”.  She describes her cake - which is not being entered into the competition - as follows:

“Herewith my apocalyptic nightmare.  The chick is based on a photograph of a Black-browed Albatross chick by Kim Kliska.  In my nightmare it is attacked by four small mice while a giant mutant mouse looks on, having already taken a bite.  The chick is a coconut gluten-free cake, the nest is a flour-less chocolate and cardamom cake, the big mouse is a gluten-free chocolate cake, the small mice are prunes, the chick’s bill is crafted from liquorice, the red blood is raspberry jam.”

 Apocalyptic Nightmare Christine Bogle 2

Apocalyptic Nightmare Christine Bogle 5

The cake and the photograph that inspired it

There are three other ‘WAD2020’ competitions currently on the go, a Colouring-in Competition, the World Albatross Day Banner Challenge, with public voting now underway via Facebook, and a Photographic Competition on Instagram.  Why not try your hand at all four?

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 11 June 2020

World Albatross Day Photography Competition “Albatrosses, their World and Threats”

Light mantled Albatross Oli Prince

A Light-mantled Albatross preens its tail on a South Atlantic island, photograph by Oli Prince

Bases en Español más abajo

Description

The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels Agreement (ACAP) has launched "World Albatross Day" in order to raise awareness about these birds and the threats they face. We invite you to take part in a photography competition that seeks to show the images and emotions these birds inspire.

The Competition

This competition is an awareness-raising and educational initiative, aiming to increase knowledge of the beauty of a family of birds that faces multiple threats to its survival. It aims to raise awareness about the role of these birds in nature, and their emotional impact on observers.

Objectives

The main objective of this contest is to educate and raise awareness about albatrosses, their way of life and the threats they face to survive.

The specific objectives are:

  • Highlight the beauty of these magnificent birds and their impressive way of life
  • Reveal the emotions felt by those lucky enough to observe them
  • Give nature photographers a forum in which to express themselves
  • Make known the threats facing these species so as to encourage all to contribute to mitigating those threats

Competition open to:

Everyone who is interested in photography, ornithology, the ocean, the environment, etc.

Contestants from all over the world, without categories or age limits.

Because the platform for the contest is Instagram, contestants will need an Instagram account.

Theme

The theme of the contest is albatrosses, their world, their threats.  While bearing this theme in mind, photographers should feel free to approach this challenge according to their own preferences.

Competition requirements

  • The contestants´ photographs can be taken using an analog or digital camera, cell phone or any visual device.
  • Photographs can be in colour or in black and white.
  • Photos must be original and taken by the participant. The participation of third parties or use of reproductions of work by another photographer is not permitted.
  • The photograph should be accompanied by a description of the moment, the context and especially the emotions felt on seeing the albatross photographed.
  • This textual description will be taken into account by the judges in making their decisions.
  • Because the contest will use the Instagram platform, the photos must be uploaded to an account using the hashtag #wad_photocontest and tag @Worldalbatrossday.
  • The judges will choose the 20 finalist photographs, which will be put to a public vote, through Instagram stories from the "World Albatross Day" account.
  • The winning photographs will be determined by both public vote and the judges.
  • The photographs submitted will be displayed both on the Instagram account of World Albatross Day, and potentially in some medium reporting on the competition.

Deadline

Photographs can be uploaded with the hashtag from 4 June 2020, and photographs will be accepted until 19 June.  The winning photos will be published on the WordAlbatrossDay Instagram account with prior notice to the winners from 25 June.

Judges

  • Pablo Cáceres, Contest Co-ordinator. Chile
  • Verónica López, Chair, ACAP World Albatross Day Intersessional Group, Chile
  • Jim Hurst. Emmy and CAS award-winning sound recordist, cinematographer and producer, USA
  • Rodrigo Moraga, Wildlife & landscape photographer, Chile
  • Michelle Risi. Field Biologist, Gough Island Restoration Programme, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, UK
  • Marco Favero, Principal Investigator, National Research Council of Argentina (CONICET), former ACAP Advisory Committee Chair and Executive Secretary, current Co-convenor,Population and Conservation Status Working Group
  • Tatiana Neves, Projeto Albatroz General Coordinator, Brazil; Vice-Chair, ACAP Advisory Committee
  • Christine Bogle, ACAP Executive Secretary, Australia

 Selection of winners

The judges will select the top 20 photographs.

Those 20 photographs will be put to a vote among the followers of the World Albatross Day account, and the three best voted photographs will be the winners.  1st, 2nd and 3rd places will be decided by the judges.

Awards

Surprise

Announcing the winners

  • The winning photos will be featured on the World Albatross Day Instagram account, and an internal message will be sent to the participants to inform them

 License to use the works

  • The authors will continue to hold rights and authorship of the works. World Albatross Day is only interested in promoting this activity through the contest and the limited use of the works that have been submitted, always maintaining the rights and credits of the photographer.
  • The photographs will not become part of any archive or collection, and will only be used as described above, and with acknowledgement of the author.
  • However, since Instagram is a public platform, the organization will not be responsible for any use that third parties may make of the photographs featured.

Acceptance of these terms and conditions

  • It is understood that presentation of the photographs to the competition implies acceptance of these terms and conditions.

Verónica López, Chair, ACAP World Albatross Day Intersessional Group, Chile, 11 June 2020

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BASES DEL CONCURSO DE FOTOGRAFÍA. WORLD ALBATROSS DAY: "Albatros, su mundo y sus amenazas"

Descripción: 

El Acuerdo internacional de conservación de albatros y petreles (ACAP) ha lanzado "World Albatross Day" de manera de aumentar la conciencia sobre este grupo de aves y sus amenazas.  Invitamos a participar en el concurso de fotografía que busca mostrar imágenes y emociones que nos regalan las aves voladoras más grandes del mundo.

Fundamentos:

El presente concurso de fotografía se inscribe como una iniciativa de sensibilización y educación que busca dar a conocer la belleza de una familia de aves que enfrenta múltiples amenazas para su sobrevivencia. Se pretende dar a conocer el rol de estas aves en la naturaleza, así como la fuerte carga emocional que desarrollan en quienes las observan.

Objetivos:

El objetivo general del concurso es educar y sensibilizar respecto de los albatros, su estilo de vida y las amenazas que enfrentan para sobrevivir.

Los objetivos específicos son:

- Dar a conocer la belleza de estas magníficas aves y su impresionante modo de vida.

- Dar a conocer las emociones que despiertan en quienes tienen la fortuna de observarlos.

- Generar un espacio para la expresión artística de fotógrafos de naturaleza.

- Dar a conocer las amenazas que enfrenta la subsistencia de estas especies para generar compromiso en la mitigación del impacto que cada uno genera.

Convocatoria:

Se convoca a participar a toda persona interesada, tanto en la fotografía como en la ornitología, el océano, la conservación, la difusión, el medio ambiente, etc.

El concurso es de convocatoria internacional.

No se reconocen categorías en el concurso, ni tampoco hay límites de edad, ni de ningún tipo.

Dado que la plataforma del concurso es Instagram, se hace necesario contar con una cuenta para poder hacer llegar las fotografías.

Temática:

La temática del concurso son los albatros, su mundo y sus amenazas.

Las fotografías podrán abordar la temática de manera libre, sin requisitos ni condiciones previas, sin embargo, es importante recordar que el objetivo del concurso es difundir y sensibilizar respecto de los albatros, su mundo y sus amenazas.

Requerimientos del concurso:

Las fotografías concursantes podrán haber sido sacadas usando una cámara fotográfica análoga o digital, un teléfono celular o cualquier otro dispositivo de registro visual.

Las fotografías podrán ser en color o en Blanco y Negro.

Las fotografías deberán ser originales y obtenidas por el participante. No se podrá participar con fotografías ajenas o con reproducciones de otras fotografías.

Junto a la fotografía se pide una descripción del momento, del contexto y especialmente de las emociones sentidas producto de la contemplación de los albatros. 

El relato de la foto, será considerado por el jurado al momento de hacer sus elecciones.

El concurso se desarrollará en la plataforma Instagram, por lo tanto, las fotografías deberán ser cargadas en una cuenta usando el hashtag #wad_photocontest y el @worldalbatrossday.

El jurado elegirá las 20 fotografías finalistas, las que serán sometidas a votación del público, mediante historias de Instagram de la cuenta "World Albatross Day".

Finalmente las fotografías ganadores serán definidas por votación del público y los jurados.

Las fotografías enviadas serán exhibidas tanto en la cuenta Instagram del World Albatross Day, como también podrán serlo, eventualmente, en algún medio que difunda esta iniciativa.

Plazos:

Las fotografías se pueden cargar con el hashtag a partir del 4 de junio de 2020, y se aceptarán fotografías hasta el día 19 de junio. Las fotografías ganadoras serán publicadas en el Instagram WordAlbatrossDay previo aviso a los ganadores a partir del día 25 de junio .

 Jurado:

El Jurado estará compuesto por:

  • Pablo Cáceres, Contest Co-ordinator. Chile
  • Verónica López, Chair, ACAP World Albatross Day Intersessional Group, Chile
  • Jim Hurst. Emmy and CAS award-winning sound recordist, cinematographer and producer, USA
  • Rodrigo Moraga, Wildlife & landscape photographer, Chile
  • Michelle Risi. Field Biologist, Gough Island Restoration Programme, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, U.K
  • Marco Favero, Principal Investigator, National Research Council of Argentina (CONICET), former ACAP Advisory Committee Chair and Executive Secretary, current Co-convenor,Population and Conservation Status Working Group
  • Tatiana Neves, Projeto Albatroz General Coordinator, Brazil; Vice-Chair, ACAP Advisory Committee
  • Christine Bogle, ACAP Executive Secretary, Australia

Selección de ganadores:

El jurado seleccionará las 20 mejores fotografías.

Esas 20 fotografías serán sometidas a votación entre los seguidores de la cuenta del World Albatross Day, y las 3 fotografías con mejor votación serán las ganadoras. El 1º, 2º y 3º lugar será definido por el jurado.

Premios:

Sorpresa

Comunicación ganadores:

Las fotografías ganadoras serán presentadas en la cuenta de Instagram de World Albatross Day, y se le enviará mensaje interno al participante para informarle y coordinar la entrega de premio.

Licencia de uso de las obras:

Los autores seguirán siendo titulares de derechos y autoría de las obras. World Albatross Day sólo tiene interés en promocionar esta actividad mediante el concurso y el uso acotado de los trabajos que hayan sido enviados, siempre manteniendo los derechos y créditos de los trabajos.

Las fotografías no pasarán a formar parte de ningún archivo o colección, y sólo serán usadas en la mencionada difusión, y con la respectiva mención del autor.

No obstante, siendo Instagram una plataforma pública, la organización no será responsable por el uso que puedan hacer terceras personas de las fotografías expuestas.

Verónica López, Chair, ACAP World Albatross Day Intersessional Group, Chile, 11 June 2020

The Nederlandse Zeevogelgroep (Dutch Seabird Group) endorses World Albatross Day on 19 June

 NZG

The Nederlandse Zeevogelgroep (NZG, Dutch Seabird Group) is the fourth of the world’s seabird groups to endorse this year’s inaugural World Albatross Day on 19 June.  It follows support from the Australasian, Pacific and the United Kingdom’s Seabird Groups

The NZG was founded in 1991 as a branch of the Nederlandse Ornithologische Unie.  The group aims to: “Encourage seabird research by interested parties and professionals together, through the exchange of information, coordination of activities, and organizing meetings.”

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Susanne Kühn, Secretary, Nederlandse Zeevogelgroep in her laboratory

Susanne Kühn, Secretary of the Dutch Seabird Group writes to ACAP Latest News: “Although we live in Holland - a long way from any albatross colony, we strongly endorse any effort to save these iconic birds.  The yearly World Albatross Day is a great platform to let the world know about albatross problems – and solutions!”

Suzanne Kuhn Stewart Island 2017 shrunk

Albatrosses off Stewart Island, New Zealand, 2017, photograph by Susanne Kühn

With thanks to Susanne Kühn, Secretary, Nederlandse Zeevogelgroep and Jan van Franeker.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 10 June 2020

The Agreement on the
Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

ACAP is a multilateral agreement which seeks to conserve listed albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters by coordinating international activity to mitigate known threats to their populations.

About ACAP

ACAP Secretariat

119 Macquarie St
Hobart TAS 7000
Australia

Email: secretariat@acap.aq
Tel: +61 3 6165 6674