A Southern Giant Petrel on Gough Island, watercolour by Susanne Durchholz, after a photograph by Michelle Risi

Peter Ryan (FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa) and Stefan Oppel (RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, Cambridge, UK) have published in the open-access journal Marine Ornithology on the winter presence of Southern Giant Petrels Macronectes giganteus on Gough Island.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Southern Giant Petrels Macronectes giganteus are partial migrants, but the proportion of adult males and females that visit the colony on Gough Island during winter is poorly defined. A better understanding of winter colony attendance is important to predict the possible impact of non-target mortality during restoration efforts involving poison baiting to eradicate introduced mammals. We repeatedly checked the individual identity of all giant petrels attending the largest breeding colony on Gough Island for rings during April-May 2021. Although the maximum number of individually identifiable ringed adults in a single check was 202, overall, 353 ringed adults were recorded, including almost 90% of the individuals that bred in 2020. Males were more likely to be present than females, but the ratio of males to females decreased from the end of April (3.24:1) to the latter half of May (1.25:1). Many birds were paired with their previous breeding partners by the end of May, despite egg laying not starting until late August. Our observations indicate that most adult Southern Giant Petrels are present at their breeding colonies on Gough Island 3-4 months before breeding, and are thus potentially susceptible to non-target poisoning during mammal eradication operations.’

Reference:

Ryan, P.G. & Oppel, S. 2022.  Winter colony attendance by adult Southern Giant Petrels Macronectes giganteus: implications for rodent eradications.  Marine Ornithology 50: 1-4.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 18 February 2022

Abstract submission for the 10th SCAR Open Science Conference to held over 1-10 August 2022 is now open until 1 June.  The conference will be held online with the theme “Antarctica in a Changing World”.

“Abstracts can be submitted electronically via the Abstract Submission Portal in English on the SCAR 2022 Meetings website.  There is no abstract submission fee.  Before entering your abstract you will be asked to choose a session.  Take a look at the full list of proposed parallel sessions to find the best match.  Make sure to read the abstract submission instructions before starting the submission process.

“The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India, is hosting the SCAR Open Science Conference 2022.  The 10th SCAR Open Science Conference will feature a comprehensive schedule of meetings, symposia, virtual side events and social activities, daily plenary lectures and poster sessions in an innovative online format.

“The First Circular for the 10th SCAR Open Science Conference  is now available.  The circular outlines some key pieces of information about [the] conference, including the opening of the abstract submission system and more details on the content and program for the meetings.”

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 17 February 2022

 
Laysan Albatross, artwork by Grisselle Chock; after a photograph by Hob Osterlund

The Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations (“OLA/DOALOS”) is accepting applications for the 2022 session of the United Nations - The Nippon Foundation Strategic Fellowship Programme.

The objective of the Fellowship is to assists developing States, particularly least developed countries, small island developing States and landlocked developing countries, to address identified critical needs in the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and related instruments, as well as Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 and other related SDGs.  The Fellowship is targeted at Government officials with limited background in ocean affairs and the law of the sea who are filling key positions in their Administration and who are tasked to address the needs referred to above.

Selected Fellows participate in a four-month training programme based on a foundation curriculum, integrated by a highly customized individual curriculum developed in consultation with the nominating State, at OLA/DOALOS at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

To qualify, candidates must:

• Be between the ages of 25 and 40
• Possess at least a first university degree or equivalent
• Demonstrate an ability to undertake advanced academic research and studies
• Be from a developing State
• Be Government officials dealing directly with critical issues related to sustainable development of oceans and seas (e.g. the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; national and/or regional ocean policy; the establishment of maritime zones and/or the delimitation of maritime boundaries; coastal zone management; conservation and management of marine living resources; maritime transport and shipping; maritime security; the protection and preservation of the marine environment; and/or marine science).

It is intended that 11 Fellowships will be offered, to take place between mid-August and mid-December 2022.  The application deadline is 01 April 2022.

Find more information on the Fellowship here.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 16 February 2022

 
île Saint-Paul

“On the occasion of the One Ocean Summit on February 11, 2022, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, announced the extension of the National Nature Reserve (RNN) of the French Southern Territories [Terres australes françaises] to all maritime areas.  The Crozet and Kerguelen Archipelagos and the Saint-Paul and Amsterdam Islands [are] administered by the French Southern and Antarctic Lands [Terres australes et antarctiques françaises; TAAF].  With 1.6 million km², the national nature reserve of the French Southern Territories thus becomes the largest marine protected area in France and the second largest marine protected area in the world.  This extension of nearly one million additional km² allows France to exceed the objective of 30% of French maritime and land areas in protected areas (33%) and contributes thus strongly to the objective of protecting emblematic spaces in strong protection.”

“The extension of the RNN also provides for the delimitation of a reinforced protection zone (strong protection of the integral reserve type) over nearly 50% of the waters of Saint-Paul and Amsterdam, in response to the ecological issues identified in this zone, to approximately 375,000 km2 (23%) the area of the marine reserve completely preserved from any industrial or commercial activity and any discharge. It thus ensures the highest level of protection for vulnerable environments of first-rate ecological and heritage importance.”

île Amsterdam, photographs from Thierry Micol

“The French Southern Territories (Crozet, Kerguelen, Saint-Paul and Amsterdam) are particularly well-preserved sanctuaries of biodiversity, which harbor an exceptional natural heritage. In order to conserve these unique ecosystems, France created the French Southern Territories National Nature Reserve (RNN) in 2006, which included the entire land surface of the islands (approximately 7,700 km2) and 52.5% of their territorial waters, or 15,700 km2. In response to scientific work carried out within the framework of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the RNN of the French Southern Territories was extended in 2016 to strengthen the protection of marine natural heritage. reaching an area of 672,969 km2.  This reserve was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019 under the name “French Southern Lands and Seas”. It was in 2019 that the work to carry out a second extension was launched. The consultation carried out with economic players, scientists and experts has made it possible to finalize an extension of more than 1 million km² covering all the waters under French jurisdiction in the southern zone.  The current national nature reserve of the French Southern Territories covers more than 1.6 million km², including 375,000 km² of reserves completely preserved from all industrial or commercial activities.”

Watch a video on the extension.

[Translated via Google Translate.  Click here for the original text in French].

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 15 February 2022