20 seabirds and waterbirds added to threatened list

mongabay.com 2 Oct 08;

The U.N. has added 20 species of migratory waterbird to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) giving them greater international protection in Africa, Europe, and Asia.

At the fourth meeting of AEWA, held in Antananarivo, Madagascar from 15-19 September 2008, delegates agreed to expand its threatened list (Annex 2) to include species traditionally classified as "seabirds" like tropicbirds, boobies, terns, and frigatebirds. Seabirds are at risk from overfishing, which both depletes their prey and snags birds as by-catch; pollution and trash; habitat destruction; invasive species; overexploitation; and loss of habitat and breeding sites. Climate change is also a threat to many species.

"I am very satisfied with the decision of the 4th Meeting of the Parties to include 20 seabird species in AEWA," said Bert Lenten, the Executive Secretary of AEWA. "This means that more attention will be paid to the conservation of these species. Some of them, such as the tropic birds need urgent attention because their populations are numbering less than 10,000 individuals."

The list includes:

* Phaethon aetheras / Red-billed Tropicbird
* Phaethon rubricauda / Red-tailed Tropicbird
* Phaethon lepturus / White-tailed Tropicbird
* Sula (Morus) bassana / Northern Gannet
* Sula dactylatra / Masked Booby
* Fregata minor / Great Frigatebird
* Fregata ariel / Lesser Frigatebird
* Catharacta skua / Great Skua
* Stercorarius longicaudus / Long-tailed Skua
* Rissa tridactyla / Black-legged Kittiwake
* Sterna anaethetus / Bridled Tern
* Sterna fuscata / Sooty Tern
* Anous stolidus / Brown Noddy
* Anous tenuirostris / Lesser Noddy
* Alle alle / Little Auk
* Uria aalge / Common Guillemot
* Uria lomvia / Brunnich’s Guillemot
* Alca torda / Razorbill
* Cepphus grylle / Black Guillemot
* Fratercula arctica / Atlantic Puffin