The wait is over for our French and Spanish friends; downloadable posters of the educational ACAP Species Infographics for the Black-footed  and Laysan Albatrosses are now available from the website. English and Portuguese language versions of infographics are available to download here, whilst French and Spanish versions can be found in their respective language menus for the website under, Infographies sur les espèces and Infographía sobres las especies.  The three language versions have been co-published with the Hawaii-based NGO, Pacific Rim Conservation to mark this year's World Albatross Day on 19 June.

The posters have been beautifully illustrated by Namasri Niumim and are fantastic educational resources. All nine ACAP Species Infographicsproduced to date may be freely downloaded for printing professionally in two sizes (approximately A2 and A3).  Versions suitable for use on websites and on social media are also available.

Please note that all the ACAP Species Infographics are only for personal or educational use or when engaging in activities that will aid in drawing attention to the conservation crisis faced by the world’s albatrosses and petrels – please tag on Instagram (@acap_birds) or Facebook (@AlbatrossesandPetrels).

05 July 2022

“Punk Rock Baby” by ABUN artist, Snah Kritzler, after a photograph of a Black-footed Albatross chick by Beth Flint

Applications are sought to undertake a secondment under the ACAP Secondment Programme for the purpose of building capacity within Parties, and as a means of achieving tasks within the current work programmes of the Advisory Committee (see Annex 4, MoP7 Report) and Secretariat (see Annex 2, MoP7 Report).  Applicants are encouraged to develop proposals that account for any ongoing practical challenges and limitations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Applications will only be accepted from ACAP Parties.  Applicants are encouraged to contact the Working Group Convenors, the Advisory Committee Chair or Vice-chair, or the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to help identify ACAP priority areas for their proposal.  Completed applications are to be submitted to relevant ACAP National Contact Points, who will then forward them to the ACAP Secretariat.

Applications must be received by the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by close of business on Monday, 26 September 2022.  Applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application by Tuesday, 8 November 2022.

Click here for more information, including application criteria, and the application form.  Also available in French and Spanish.

John Cooper. ACAP Information Officer, 04 July 2022

“Love Duo” by ABUN artist Joyce Hartmann, after a photograph of Laysan Albatrosses by Hob Osterlund

The Seventh Session of the Meeting of the Parties (MoP7) to the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels was held online over 9-13 May 2022, with Australia acting as host and Meeting Chair.  The Final Report of the meeting is now available in the three ACAP official languages of English, French and Spanish.  Documents and Information Papers considered at the meeting are also available.

Read a summary by the ACAP Secretariat of the  meeting’s outcomes here.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 01 July 2022

Jarrod Hodgson (left) and Andrea Turbett hold up Barbara; photograph by Urs Grueter

To celebrate World Albatross Day 2022 on Australia’s sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island (a nature reserve and World Heritage Site), Tasmania Park and Wildlife Service rangers Jarrod Hodgson and Andrea Turbett constructed a life-sized Wandering Albatross Diomedea exulans sculpture out of wood.  On 19 June ‘Barbara’ was due to ‘fledge’ to the main living area on the station and then double as the centrepiece decoration for the following midwinter celebrations.

And she lights up at night! Photograph from Jarrod Hodgson

“Macquarie Island provides critical breeding habitat for Australia’s extremely small Wandering Albatross population. This year there are six Wandering Albatross chicks on the island.  The nests are all located in very remote and spectacular locations: five are in the rugged south‑west corner of the island and the other nest is on the north‑west coast. The chicks hatched at the start of the year and will live at their nest alone, including through the sub‑Antarctic winter, until it is time to fledge at the end of the year. Remote cameras are located at each nest to non-invasively monitor the breeding ecology of the birds.

The successful eradication of rabbits, rats and mice from Macquarie Island (the Macquarie Island Pest Eradication Project, declared a success in 2014) has helped restore the quality of albatross breeding habitat, most evident through the recovery of the tussock vegetation. The removal of these invasive pests also means there is no possibility of them having an impact on breeding birds and chicks (click here)”.

A Wandering Albatross pair on Macquarie Island, photograph by Melanie Wells

View the ACAP Species Infographics for the Wandering and (Macquarie breeder) Grey-headed Thalassarche chrysostoma Albatrosses..

With thanks to Keith Springer, Operations Manager, Mouse-Free Marion Project.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 30 July 2022