ACAP Conservation Guidelines

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

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

First published December 2016, updated September 2020.

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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.