Seabird 2000
Seabird 2000 was the third complete census of the entire
breeding seabird population of Britain and Ireland. It was
co-ordinated by JNCC in partnership with other
organisations. Funding for the day-to-day running of the
project was provided by the statutory country conservation
agencies and RSPB. These and other Seabird 2000 partners
also greatly contributed to the fieldwork by providing personnel
and/or additional funds to contract specialist seabird surveyors.
For surveys of the more remote parts of the British Isles,
additional funding was provided by the Atlantic Frontier
Environmental Network (UK Offshore Operators Association), EU
INTERREG II-C Atlantic Areas Programme (project no. 414), The
Heritage Council, Shetland Amenity Trust, The Sullom Voe
Association Ltd. and Talisman Energy Ltd. In all, Seabird 2000 cost
approximately £1.3-1.6 million.
Beginning in 1998 and completed in 2002, Seabird 2000
maintained (or improved on) the survey coverage of species
well-surveyed in the previous complete census, the Seabird Colony
Register (SCR). This entailed counting over 8 million breeding
seabirds at 3,300 coastal colonies, distributed along 40,000 km of
the British and Irish coastlines. Improved coverage was achieved by
extending the survey to some 900 inland colonies of terns, gulls
and Great Cormorants. For the first time accurate baseline
estimates for populations of Leach’s and European Storm-petrels and
Manx Shearwaters were derived. This involved visiting about 170
islands, most of which were remote and difficult to access, at
times of the summer when other species were not being
censused. A complete census of Northern gannets was not
undertaken in Seabird 2000. A regular stand-alone census of
all British and Irish gannet colonies takes place every 10 years;
the last complete survey was
undertaken in 2004/5.
Seabird 2000 Results
The results of Seabird 2000 were summarised in
Seabird Populations of Britain and Ireland, by P. Ian Mitchell,
Stephen Newton, Norman Ratcliffe & Tim E. Dunn
(eds.), published in 2004 by T & AD Poyser, an imprint of
A&C Black, ISBN 0-7136-6901-2.