Important Bird Areas in Europe – Faroe Islands ■ FAROE ISLANDS Puffin Fratercula arctica, an important species at IBAs in the Faroe Islands. (PHOTO: JÓHANN ÓLI HILMARSSON) GENERAL INTRODUCTION The data and descriptions presented in this chapter are taken largely from the previous pan-European IBA inventory (Grimmett The Faroe Islands (Føroyar) are a self-governing region of the and Jones 1989). Kingdom of Denmark. They comprise a group of 18 islands in the north-east Atlantic at about 62°N and 7°W. The total land area is 1,399 km2 and the topography is dominated by hills extending to ORNITHOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE 82 m in height. The human population is 44,817 (in 1998) with an average population density of 32 persons per km2. In all, more than 250 bird species have been recorded in the islands, Nineteen Important Bird Areas (IBAs) are identified, covering but most of these are rare or irregular visitors, with less than 50 an area of 67 km2 (Table 1, Map 1). species breeding regularly (Bloch et al. 1996), of which 35 are species Table 1. Summary of Important 19 IBAs covering 67 km2 Map 1. Location, area and criteria category of Important Bird Bird Areas in the Faroe Islands. Areas in the Faroe Islands. IBA 1989 code code International/national name Area (ha) Criteria (see p. 11) 5 6 7 8 9 4 001 FO001 Mykines and Mykineshólmur 1,028 A4ii, B1ii, B2, B3 002 FO002 Vágar 175 A4ii, B1ii, B2, B3 10 003 FO003 Streymoy 125 A4ii, B1ii, B2, B3 3 004 FO004 Eysturoy 60 A4ii, B1ii, B2 2 005 FO005 Kalsoy 50 A4ii, B1ii, B2 006 FO006 Kunoy 20 A4ii, B1ii, B2 1 007 FO007 Bordoy 35 A4ii, B1ii, B2 12 11 008 FO008 Vidoy 75 A4ii, B1ii, B2 13 009 FO009 Fugloy 1,118 A4ii, B1ii, B2, B3 ATLANTIC 010 FO010 Svínoy 100 A4ii, B1ii, B2 OCEAN 14 15 011 FO011 Nólsoy 1,028 A4ii, B1ii, B2 Highest category of 012 FO012 Koltur 30 A4ii, B1ii, B2 criteria met by IBA 16 A (18 IBAs) 013 FO013 Hestur 50 A4ii, B1ii, B2 17 B (1 IBA) 014 FO014 Sandoy 250 A4ii, B1ii, B2, B3 18 Area of IBA (ha) 015 FO015 Vøtnini á Sandoy (Lakes of Sandoy) 1,000 B3 1,000 to 1,118 016 FO016 Skúvoy 999 A4ii, B1ii, B2, B3 0 15 30 175 to 999 19 60 to 174 017 FO017 Stóra Dímun 265 A4ii, B1ii, B2 km 018 FO018 Lítla Dímun 82 A4ii, B1ii, B2 20 to 59 019 FO019 Suduroy 200 A4ii, B1ii, B2, B3 179 Important Bird Areas in Europe – Faroe Islands Table 2. Important Bird Areas in the Faroe Islands that support E. Mortensen and B. Olsen have estimated the sizes of the other important numbers of one or more congregatory species (i.e. populations. The most numerous species are Fulmarus glacialis meeting criteria A4 and/or B1). IBAs meeting both criteria A4 and (600,000 pairs), Fratercula arctica (550,000 pairs), Hydrobates B1 for the species are shown in bold. IBAs meeting only criterion pelagicus (250,000 pairs), Rissa tridactyla (230,000 pairs) and Uria B1 for the species concerned, and not A4, are shown in normal aalge (175,000 pairs). type. For key to ‘Season’, see p. 7. There has been a dramatic decline in the population of Uria Species Season IBA code aalge since the late 1950s (Dyck and Meltofte 1975; Olsen 1982, Fulmarus glacialis Fulmar B 001, 002, 003, 014, 016, 019 1986, 1992) and the population of Rissa tridactyla has also been Puffinus puffinus Manx Shearwater B 001, 004, 014, 016 declining. The Fulmarus glacialis population has been increasing Hydrobates pelagicus Storm Petrel B 001, 002, 003, 005, 009, 010, 011, 012, 013, since colonization 150 years ago, and the species is now the most 014, 016, 017, 018, 019 numerous bird in the islands. Uria aalge Guillemot B 016 Cepphus grylle Black Guillemot B 001, 002, 003, 004, 005, 006, 007, 008, 009, HABITATS 010, 011, 012, 013, 014, 016, 017, 019 Fratercula arctica Puffin B 001, 002, 003, 005, 008, 009, 010, 011, 012, The base rock of the islands is basalt, which is only partly covered 013, 014, 016, 017, 018, 019 by a thin and stony soil. The main vegetation is grass, with scattered areas of moor, but around the villages there are cultivated hay- fields, gardens with trees, and a few small woods (Figure 1). There Table 3. Species of European conservation concern with significant breeding populations at IBAs in the Faroe Islands are many ponds and a few lakes, some of which are surrounded by (meeting criteria B2/B3). peatbogs. The coasts are rugged with steep grass-covered slopes, and the cliffs (especially on the north and west sides) are very steep, Minimum Proportion (%) of national breeding national population with boulder screes. population breeding at all IBAs Species 1 (pairs) 2 in the Faroe Islands Puffinus puffinus Manx Shearwater 25,000 80 IMPACTS ON IBAs – LAND-USE AND THREATS Hydrobates pelagicus Storm Petrel 250,000 1003 Sula bassana Gannet 2,000 100 Throughout the islands, sheep are grazed all year-round; some areas Phalacrocorax aristotelis Shag 1,500 83 (but not the seabird colonies) are also grazed by cattle during the Numenius phaeopus Whimbrel 2,500 10 summer. Stercorarius skua Great Skua 450 40 During the next few years hydrocarbon exploration will be Cepphus grylle Black Guillemot 3,500 97 carried out in Faroese waters. This may have consequences for the Fratercula arctica Puffin 550,000 96 island’s seabird populations. The brown rat Rattus norvegicus is on some of the islands, and 1. Only those species of European conservation concern (see Box 1, p. 12) that meet B2/B3 criteria at IBAs in the Faroe Islands are listed. has caused great declines and local extinction of Hydrobates 2. Data are taken from Bloch et al. 1996. pelagicus, Puffinus puffinus and Fratercula arctica. The risk of rats 3. The percentage of the national population in IBAs exceeds 100%. This is most likely to be spreading to the currently rat-free islands is high. because the national population estimate needs to be reassessed (often as a result of new data on species numbers from comprehensive surveys of IBAs themselves). Tourism is a relatively new trade in the Faroes and there is no documentation of it having serious negative effects on the birds, although there is some cause for concern. The seabird cliffs are of European conservation concern (SPECs; Tucker and Heath very popular and tourism may become a serious threat if not 1994). managed to minimize the effect on the birds. Inland, species diversity is low (Bloch and Sørensen 1984), and the only species of interest are Numenius phaeopus, the c.210 pairs of Stercorarius skua (which has a limited global range), and 10–15 PROTECTION STATUS pairs of Gavia stellata, breeding on some lakes. Eighteen IBAs have been included largely because of their huge ■ National protection breeding seabird populations which are of major international The huge seabird colonies (the majority of the IBAs) are not importance (Table 2). Numbers of Rissa tridactyla and Uria aalge protected as nature reserves/bird sanctuaries, although they are not are also very significant at nearly all IBAs, despite numbers being currently threatened. Any exploitation must be approved by the below the criteria threshold of 1% of the global population. One island’s Nature Conservancy Tribunal, and the shooting of birds site (015) is included because it is outstanding for breeding waders. closer than three nautical miles from Uria aalge colonies and half a Several of the breeding seabirds are SPECs. Large proportions of nautical mile from Fratercula arctica colonies is forbidden. the national breeding populations of several SPECs fall within IBAs (Table 3). ■ International protection The productive waters around the islands provide important The Faroes are a self-governing region of the Kingdom of Denmark. foraging areas for seabirds all year-round, and the steep cliffs, grass- Unlike mainland Denmark, the islands are not covered by the Bern covered slopes, and boulder screes facing the sea form ideal nesting Convention, or World Heritage Convention, nor the EC Wild Birds sites. The only seabirds that have been censused are Sula bassana Directive, but the Faroes, as part of Denmark, are covered by the (Wanless 1987), Uria aalge (Dyck and Meltofte 1975; Olsen Bonn Convention and the Ramsar Convention although no Ramsar unpublished) and Rissa tridactyla (Olsen unpublished), although Sites have been designated (Box 1). Figure 1. Occurrence of habitats at Important Bird Areas in the Box 1. International Global Faroe Islands (see Appendix 3 for definitions of habitats). legislation and initiatives that Biodiversity Convention are relevant to site ✔ conservation in the Faroe Ramsar Convention Rocky areas Islands (see Appendix 1 for a Bonn Convention ✔ general description of these Grassland World Heritage Convention agreements). MAB Programme Wetland Pan-European Scrub Bern Convention 0 10 2030 4050 60 70 80 90 100 ✔ Convention ratified/initiative supported Percentage of IBAs (100% = 19 sites) (✔) Convention signed 180 Important Bird Areas in Europe – Faroe Islands CONSERVATION ANALYTICAL METHODS • According to the island’s game legislation all birds are protected • The figures given for Uria aalge in the text are from 1987 and are from hunting within the 200 nautical-mile fishing limit, except individuals seen on the cliffs. Birds out to sea are not included, the following: Fulmarus glacialis, Puffinus puffinus, Sula bassana, therefore the figures should probably be increased by at least 50%. Phalacrocorax aristotelis, Stercorarius parasiticus, Stercorarius • Numbers of Rissa tridactyla and Uria aalge are also very skua, Laridae, Uria aalge, Alca torda, Fratercula arctica, Corvus significant at nearly all IBAs, despite falling below the criteria corone and Corvus corax.