Christine Bogle, ACAP Executive Secretary and Kim Ellis, Director, Australian Antarctic Division, along with some socially distanced AAD colleagues, join in global celebrations of the first World Albatross Day on 19 June 2020.  Photograph by Simon Payne, Senior Digital Producer, AAD

 A year after ACAP first mooted the idea at its 2019 meeting and after 12 months of planning and awareness raising around the world, today we mark the very first World Albatross Day.  With Australia hosting the ACAP Secretariat it is fitting that ‘WAD2020’ celebrations started early in that country.  Christine Bogle, ACAP Executive Secretary, and Kim Ellis, Director of the Australian Antarctic Division, along with a few socially distanced AAD colleagues who included Australia’s Representative to ACAP, Jonathon Barrington, gathered to raise a banner at the AAD Headquarters in Kingston, Tasmania.

Christine Bogle writes: “The inaugural World Albatross Day comes at a time when the world has been turned upside down by a global pandemic.  I hope this crisis reminds us how much we must treasure the natural environment of which we are custodians.  To paraphrase the words of Sir Geoffrey Palmer (former New Zealand Prime Minister) who in May 1990 was speaking about whales, if we allow albatrosses to become extinct, how can we imagine ourselves capable of solving the many other environmental problems the world faces?”

The Australian Antrarctic Division adds its view: “Today we celebrate the first World Albatross Day that has been established to highlight the conservation crisis affecting these iconic species.  Australia has been at the forefront of albatross conservation over many decades.  The Australian Antarctic Division has undertaken field research, developed recovery plans, and engaged with the global community to protect threatened albatrosses.  The AAD will continue to support all efforts for albatross conservation, on this and every other day, especially through our long-standing close cooperation with the ACAP Secretariat, which is hosted by Tasmania in Hobart.”

Artwork by Anju Rajesh, Artists & Biologists for Nature

Nathan Walker, Chair of ACAP’s Advisory Committee adds: “Albatrosses are amazing creatures that can glide effortlessly across vast oceans, but they are susceptible to pests on the islands where they raise their chicks, and can be caught accidentally by fishers.  World Albatross Day is a great opportunity to learn more about these beautiful birds and how we can reduce pest and human impacts on them.”

Senior Campaign Manager Alexia Wellbelove, of Humane Society International (an NGO that regularly attends ACAP Meetings as an observer), makes a sobering point: “In 2019 ACAP declared albatrosses were facing a conservation crisis and urgent action needed to be taken to protect populations.  COVID-19 risks the situation worsening for the albatross with critical meetings delayed or cancelled, and essential observers prevented from getting on board fishing vessels due to infection risk.”

ACAP will continue to work in these difficult times of a global pandemic to improve the conservation status of the world’s 22 species of albatrosses, as well as of the other ACAP-listed species.

Read more about World Albatross Day in ACAP’s media release in four languages and in the World Albatross Day section from this website’s home page – where you can find artworks, videos, games and competitions for children and adults alike.

With thanks to Jonathon Barrington, Australian Antarctic Division.  Jessica Fitzpatrick, Media Production Manager, Corporate Communications, AAD designed the banner.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 19 June 2020

Emmanuel Mendoza Pérez and Ariana Duarte Canizales display GECI’s World Albatross Day banner on Guadalupe, behind a Laysan Albatross chick close to fledging

A late, but welcome, entry in the World Albatross Day Banner Challenge arrived this week from Mexico’s Guadalupe Island, as reported to ACAP Latest News by Julio César Hernández Montoya, Director de Proyecto Isla Guadalupe of the Mexican environmental NGO, Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas (GECI).

Guadalupe supports a growing population of Laysan Albatrosses Phoebastria immutabilis.

With Mexico displaying a ‘WAD2020’ banner, nearly all the countries that have breeding populations of albatrosses have helped raise awareness of the conservation crisis facing albatrosses in this way (see full list).  Mexico, which has four islands supporting breeding albatrosses, is not a Party to the Agreement, but representatives have attended ACAP meetings from time to time.

Spot the albatross!

The banner was made by Gabriela Fernández Ham of GECI; with thanks to Julio Montoya.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 18 June 2020

Marc Parchow Figueiredo is a cartoonist residing in Portugal who produces an occasional comic strip under the name of Qual Albatroz.  He is also a good friend of the Agreement, having produced several specially commissioned albatross cartoons pro bono to bring some light humour to ACAP Latest News over the last decade (click here).

Marc Parchow of Qual Albatroz - with a gift from ACAP Latest News

In his new cartoon for tomorrow’s inaugural World Albatross Day, he touches on the serious situation we all find ourselves having to face: the COVID-19 pandemic that is ravaging most parts of the world, with the 13 Parties to the Agreement not left untouched.  The pandemic has been affecting activities towards the conservation of albatrosses in many countries.  In New Zealand researchers have been evacuated from islands, in several South American countries observers have been unable to get out to sea, and a four-decade-long monitoring study of individually marked Wandering Albatrosses has come to a shuddering halt on one sub-Antarctic island with no field workers left on site to band this year’s chicks and mark next season’s nests.  ACAP Latest News will be featuring these and other examples in a future post.

Meanwhile, enjoy Marc’s cartoon as we look forward to celebrating all things albatross tomorrow on the very first World Albatross Day!

And in Portuguese!

With grateful thanks to Marc Parchow of Qual Albatroz.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 18 June 2020

Nature United is the Canadian affiliate of The Nature Conservancy, a global conservation organization working in 74 countries.  The NGO works to “unite partners in governments, industries, non-profits and communities to define new pathways towards a sustainable future.  We invest in people to drive change at the scale and pace we need to address the greatest challenges we face.  The Nature Conservancy is dedicated to conserving the oceans, lands and waters on which all life depends.  Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world's toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together.  We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale and providing food and water sustainably."

Joanna Smith

Joanna Smith, Nature United’s Director, Ocean Planning and Mapping on the Protect Oceans, Lands and Waters team writes to ACAP Latest News: “I still remember the first day I saw a Black-footed Albatross off the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada.  This huge bird emerged from dense fog on a calm day, wings nearly touching the ocean’s surface.  World Albatross Day is a very important way to raise awareness for these long-lived species across the world’s oceans.”

A colour-banded Black-footed Albatross Phoebastria nigripes at sea, photograph by Vicki Miller

With thanks to Joanna Smith, Director, Ocean Planning and Mapping, Nature United, Canada

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 17 June 2020