From The Times
January 15, 2009
Mystery of the British penguins that are marching towards oblivion
Lewis Smith, Environment Reporter
An endangered species of penguin is mysteriously disappearing from a remote British island in the South Atlantic at a rate of 100 birds every day. About two million northern rockhopper penguins have vanished from Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island, part of the British overseas territory of St Helena, in half a century.
The once huge penguin populations on the islands have dwindled so dramatically that they are now threatened with extinction, and the British Government was accused yesterday of contributing to the decline.
A 90 per cent slump has been observed in both areas but on Tristan it took 130 years whereas it took just 45 years on Gough, where northern rockhopper penguins, Eudyptes moseleyi, have vanished at a rate of 100 a day.
The islands, which lie 230 miles apart, are the penguin's stronghold, with more than 80 per cent of the world population being found there. The remaining population is on two French-administered islands, St Paul and Amsterdam in the Indian Ocean, and are declining just as rapidly.
Southern rockhopper penguins, Eudyptes chrysocome, which are found on the Falklands and in South America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, are also in decline but they are found in greater numbers than their sister species.
Trevor Glass, the conservation officer on Tristan da Cunha, carries out frequent counts of the penguins and has been alarmed at the fall.
“Rockies are one of Tristan's most charismatic birds and a bird we are used to seeing in good numbers on all the islands,” he said. “These unexplained declines are really worrying and we'll do everything we can to understand what is going on.”
Climate change and overfishing are among the possible causes but ornithologists are baffled by the fall and are anxious for a research project to be conducted to identify whatever is killing the penguins.
There is concern among environmentalists, however, that the British Government “cannot be bothered” to put any great effort or resources into wildlife conservation on the overseas territories. A meeting is being held today between ministers from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Department for International Development to try to reach agreement.
Preparatory meetings held between civil servants to try to reach an accord are thought to have been inconclusive.
“They are completely disinterested,” Sarah Sanders, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds' (RSPB) overseas territories officer, said. “It's ridiculous and embarrassing. We are meant to be world leaders in biodiversity conservation and we can't even decide who is responsible for the overseas territories.”
She said it appeared that the inertia was partly driven by embarrassment within Whitehall and Westminster that they still had to take responsibility for the remnants of Britain's Empire.
British overseas territories boast several species of wildlife found nowhere else in the world and are home to 32 species of birds at risk of extinction.
Richard Cuthbert, of the RSPB, was one of the authors of a report published in the journal Bird Conservation International on northern rockhopper penguins, one of four species of penguin listed as endangered.
He concluded: “The declines on Gough since the 1950s are equivalent to losing 100 birds every day for the last 50 years. With more than half the world's penguins facing varying degrees of extinction, it is imperative that we establish the exact reason why the northern rockhopper penguin is sliding towards oblivion.”
The northern rockhopper population on Gough is estimated at 32,000 to 65,000 pairs. On Tristan it is 40,000 to 50,000 pairs.
Geoff Hilton, a conservation biologist who has studied the rockhopper penguins, added: “Millions of pairs have disappeared. We really don't understand the causes, but we suspect that a major change is taking place in the marine ecosystem.”
Story courtesy of Times Online@
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5519198.ece
Penguin species near extinction, visit remotest island in the world
January 16, 8:09 PM
by Susan Finch, NY Budget Travel Examiner
Despite the fact that my husband had to work with art elements from the movie Happy Feet, we watched the movie on fast-forward. I really can't stand it.
Unfortunately, those cute little animated penguins are the depiction of the now very endangered rockhopper penguins. On Friday, researchers reported that this penguins species has declined by a whopping 90 percent over the last 50 years.
"Historically, we know that penguins were exploited by people, and that wild dogs and pigs probably had an impact on their numbers," Richard Cuthbert of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and lead author of the paper, said in a statement. "However, these factors cannot explain the staggering declines since the 1950s, when we have lost upwards of a million birds from Gough and Tristan."
Declines at the Gough since the 1950's indicate a loss of 100 birds every day for the last 50 years, noted Cuthbert. Scientists site climate change, overfishing, and changes in marine ecosystems as possible culprits.
In addition to the rockhoppers, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service proposed listing the African penguin as endangered along with the New Zealand yellow-eyed penguin, the white-flippered penguin, the Fiordland crested penguin and the erect-crested penguin. From Chile, the Humboldt penguin of Chile and Peru is also considered endangered.
Rockhopper penguins live in the British overseas territories of Gough Island (rhymes with cough) and the Tristan da Cunha Island, both South Atlantic islands. On Gogh, it's estimated that about six people work on the island in a weather station that the South African National Antarctic Programme has used since the 1950's. It's also a protected wildlife reserve and a designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Tristan da Cunha, about 2,000 kilometers from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, has been called "the remotest island in the world" and is home to around 300 people in the Settlement of Edinburgh of the Seven Seas. You might find as many as seven different last names among its tight-knit locals. The island has a thriving crayfish industry and has a small museum, craft shop, a swimming pool, local shops, supermarket, and a radio-station.
In New York, you can visit the species Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins at The Central Park Zoo ($8 adult admission, $3 children) where a debate over the gay penguins Roy and Silo (don't ask, don't tell) ensued in 2004. Among other New York penguin hot spots, the Magellanic species can be found at the Bronx Zoo ($15 adults, $11 children limited admission or pay-as-you-wish on Wednesdays).
The Queens Zoo ($6 adults, $2 children) features its own Antarctic penguin habitat where visitors can watch daily feedings. The Prospect Park Zoo ($6 adults, $2 children) in Brooklyn also houses Magellanic penguins and the New York Aquarium ($13 adults, $9 children, Fridays from 3:00 p.m. until closing is pay-what-you-wish) in Coney Island also houses penguins.
Although the endangered rockhoppers don't seem to be visiting New York's zoo's anytime soon, you can support our city's zoo's and learn more about penguins species from around the world.
*Zoo prices were correct at the time this was published, but rates may have changed.
Story courtesy of the Nashville Examiner @
http://www.examiner.com/x-865-NY-Budget-Travel-Examiner~y2009m1d16-Penguins-species-near-extinction-visit-remotest-island-in-the-world
Penguins are walking an increasingly rocky road
16-01-2009
A new study, published in BirdLife International’s journal, Bird Conservation International, has revealed that the Northern Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes moseleyi – which is principally found on UK territories in the South Atlantic – has declined by 90% over the last 50 years [1].
Historical records estimate that millions of penguins used to occur on Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island, but, declines (of more than 90%) have dramatically reduced their numbers in the last half century.
"Historically, we know that penguins were exploited by people, and that wild dogs and pigs probably had an impact on their numbers. However, these factors cannot explain the staggering declines since the 1950s, when we have lost upwards of a million birds from Gough and Tristan. The declines at Gough since the 1950s are equivalent to losing 100 birds every day for the last 50 years", said Richard Cuthbert of the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) and lead author of the paper. "With more than half the world’s penguins facing varying degrees of extinction, it is imperative that we establish the exact reason why the Northern Rockhopper Penguin is sliding towards oblivion. Understanding what’s driving the decline of this bird will help us understand more about other threatened species in the Southern Ocean."
Possible factors for the decline of the Northern Rockhopper Penguin include climate change, shifts in marine ecosystems and overfishing.
"We are meant to be world leaders in biodiversity conservation and we can't even decide who is responsible for the overseas territories" —Sarah Sanders, RSPB’s Overseas Territories Officer
There is concern that the British Government will not put any great effort or resources into wildlife conservation for the United Kingdom’s overseas territories. Meetings held so far between ministers from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Department for International Development have failed to reach agreement.
"They are completely disinterested," said Sarah Sanders, the RSPB’s Overseas Territories Officer, said. "It's ridiculous and embarrassing. We are meant to be world leaders in biodiversity conservation and we can't even decide who is responsible for the overseas territories."
The Northern Rockhopper Penguin population on Gough is estimated at 32,000 to 65,000 pairs, with another 40,000 to 50,000 pairs on Tristan. These two strongholds account for more than 80% of the world population, the rest are found on two French-administered islands, St Paul and Amsterdam in the Indian Ocean, and are declining just as rapidly.
British overseas territories boast several species of bird found nowhere else in the world including four species classified as Critically Endangered, the highest threat category.
Tackling the interlinked threats of habitat degradation, invasive species and climate change in UK Overseas Territories is one of 10 Key Actions to prevent future avian extinctions that BirdLife has highlighted in a new publication, Critically Endangered Birds: a global audit
Bird Conservation International is the official journal of BirdLife International. It provides stimulating, up-to-date coverage of bird conservation topics important in today's world. For more information: BirdLife: Bird Conservation International.
[1] Population trends and conservation status of the Northern Rockhopper Penguin Eudyptes moseleyi at Tristan da Cunha and Gough Island. R. CUTHBERT, J. COOPER, M. BURLE, C.J. GLASS, J.P. GLASS, S. GLASS, T. GLASS, G.M. HILTON, E.S. SOMMER, R.M. WANLESS and P.G. RYAN. Bird Conservation International 2009, 19: 1-12
Credits: RSPB Birdlife@
http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2009/01/rockhopper_decline.html
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