ACAP Conservation Guidelines

 
Seabird bycatch mitigation advice and guides

♦  ACAP review of seabird bycatch mitigation measures and summary advice for reducing the impact of fishing on seabirds

♦  Seabird Bycatch Mitigation Fact Sheets

♦  Seabird Bycatch Identification Guide

♦  Hook Removal from Seabirds Guide

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Light Pollution Guidelines - external resources

The Australian Department of the Environment and Energy in collaboration with the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions has developed National Light Pollution Guidelines for Wildlife including Marine Turtles, Seabirds and Migratory Shorebirds. The National Light Pollution Guidelines aim to raise awareness of the potential impacts of artificial light on wildlife and provide a framework for assessing and managing these impacts around susceptible listed wildlife.  Published January 2020.

Seabirds Landing on Ships - IAATO guidelines.  What to do if you find birds and how to prevent birds from landing on the ship.  Also available in Simplified Chinese:

海鸟登船 - IAATO野外操作手册.  发现鸟类该怎么办. 如何防止鸟类登船.

Guidelines for Ecologically Responsible Lighting.  Protecting the Nocturnal Environment of the Maltese Islands for Seabirds and Beyond. BirdLife Malta LIFE Arċipelagu Garnija Project. This Guideline aims to provide local councils, architects and developers with best practice guidelines for the design and assessment of sustainable, cost-effective and seabird friendly lighting.  Published July 2020. 

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Rehabilitation of Procellariiformes - external resource (in Portuguese)

Hurtado, R., Saviolli, J.Y. & Vanstreels, R.E.T. (Eds) 2020.  Reabilitação de Procellariiformes: (albatrozes, petréis, pardelas).  111 pp.  ISBN 978-85-8136-138-3.  See review in ACAP Latest News.

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pdf Guidelines for working with albatrosses and petrels during H5N1 avian influenza outbreak

Marcela Uhart, Ralph Eric Thijl Vanstreels and Patricia Pereira Serafini.  July 2022.  Guidelines for working with albatrosses and petrels during the on-going high-pathogenicity H5N1 avian influenza outbreak.

Although most avian influenza infections are not pathogenic to seabirds, the current outbreak of high-pathogenicity H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI) has raised concern due to its unusual impact on wild birds. Although to date there are no reports of mortality events of Procellariiformes attributable to HPAI, the rapid spread of the currently prevalent H5N1 strains in the northern hemisphere and their unprecedented impacts on seabird populations raise concerns about potential risks for ACAP-listed species. The 2022/2023 austral summer may present the greatest potential for HPAI outbreaks among procellariiform populations, when most of these birds will congregate to breed at colonies in the southern hemisphere. Furthermore, all sites where ACAP-listed species congregate may be at risk of exposure via migratory birds or accidental introduction by human activities (e.g., banders, researchers and tourism) and should thus be in a state of alertness.

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pdf Biosecurity guidelines

Wolfaardt A. 2020.  Biosecurity and quarantine guidelines for ACAP breeding sites. 

The purpose of this paper is to provide guidelines on biosecurity management for breeding sites of ACAP species, and to provide a selected bibliography and list of online resources. These guidelines should not be considered a substitute for obtaining appropriate and detailed advice from biosecurity experts.  First published August 2011, last updated March 2020.

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Tissue sampling guidelines following disease outbreak - external resource

Unusual animal mortalities, although rare, have been observed amongst Antarctic wildlife. It is always possible that such phenomena are caused by disease introduced or spread by humans. The Australian Antarctic Division has developed an Unusual Animal Mortality Response Plan [PDF] to provide guidance on what to do if sick or dead animals are discovered in unusually high numbers or with signs that suggest disease.

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pdf Eradication guidelines

The purpose of this paper is to provide guidelines to assist with the development of plans for the eradication of introduced vertebrates from breeding sites of ACAP species. These relate mainly to islands, but many of the same principles will apply to mainland sites. The paper should not be considered as a substitute for obtaining appropriate and detailed advice from eradication experts.  First published October 2009, last updated September 2019.

See also: Phillips, R.A. 2010. Eradications of invasive mammals from islands: why, where, how and what next? Emu 110: i-vii.

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pdf Census guidelines

Wolfaardt, A. and Phillips, R. 2020.  Guideline census methodologies for albatrosses and petrels

The purpose of this paper is to consider the available methods and provide guidelines to assist with the development and implementation of plans to census ACAP species. These guidelines cover both surface-nesting and burrow-nesting ACAP species. The paper should not be considered a substitute for obtaining appropriate and detailed advice from appropriate experts.  First published January 2013, last updated January 2020.

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pdf Guidelines for designing burrowing petrel surveys

Parker, G. C. and Rexer-Huber, K. 2020. Guidelines for designing population surveys of burrowing petrels. 

First published March 2016, last updated January 2020.

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pdf The justification, design and implementation of Ecological Risk Assessments of the effects of fishing on seabirds

Small et al. 2013 - first published in Marine Policy and re-published here with permission. 

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pdf Translocation Guidelines

Jacobs, J., Deguchi, T., Perriman, L., Flint, E., Gummer, H., and Uhart, M. 2020. Guidelines for translocations of albatrosses and petrels.

First published March 2015, last updated February 2020.

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pdf Plastics sampling guidelines

Uhart, M., Gallo, L., and Pereira Serafini, P. 2020. Sampling guidelines to assess plastic ingestion in ACAP species.

These guidelines provide a standardized approach for sampling ACAP species to assess plastic ingestion (macro and microplastics, as well as chemical compounds) with an array of sample type choices that should enable collection in diverse settings.

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pdf Field collection protocols for DNA dietary analysis of seabird scats

McInnes, J. 2020.  Field collection protocols for DNA dietary analysis of seabird scats. 

First published December 2016, updated September 2020.

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pdf Guidelines for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS)

Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR).  2017.  State of Knowledge of Wildlife Responses to Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS).  PaCSWG4 Doc 06. Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. Fourth Meeting of the Population and Conservation Status Working Group.  Wellington, New Zealand, 7 – 8 September 2017. 

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.

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