We Are Saeri Chairman’S Foreword

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

We Are Saeri Chairman’S Foreword WE ARE SAERI CHAIRMAN’S FOREWORD The annual report shows an Institute In the accounts for our second year as an growing in confidence. The foundations independent charity clearly show: and fundamentals established last year • We have achieved a near break-even WE ARE SAERI have been built upon successfully. budget in year 2 in the unrestricted The quality, dedication and talent of our funds, indicating sound financial staff remain central to the achievement of planning, management and tight our mission. It is their research excellence financial controls. and academic rigour that ensure our work • Careful cost controls resulting in a | CHAIRMAN is valued to international standards. It is slight decrease in operating expenditure their dedication and approach that have (£370,000 to £360,000), which wage helped us build new partnerships and and other inflationary pressures extend our reach. It is their commitment managed by strict financial oversight. to delivery and customer service that • Greater sophistication in the delivery of have seen income growth through our contracted activities through our trading commercial subsidiary, SAERI (Falklands) subsidiary resulting in increased Limited. Through our scientists’ work we recharges and donations to the charity have discovered more about the the world which contribute to its core costs. around us and moved the frontiers of knowledge. In addition, our work has repeatedly been independently tested and both our closed This year we have identified new species projects (Darwin Cetaceans and Natural – one of which now bears SAERI’s name - Capital Assessment (NCA)) and our and delivered excellent science. We have Group’s accounts have received brought more world class researchers unqualified audits. Our key focus on to the Falkland Islands, and provided great science expertly delivered is research opportunities in more Overseas demonstrated by clean audits on closed Territories and other locations. Our work projects. We are getting the basics right has made real impact – not only in the and I record my thanks to all staff for their Falklands but – true to our name – across hard work and talent in achieving these the South Atlantic and even further afield. outcomes. 2 All images in this report ©SAERI unless otherwise stated. Front cover: ©Kelp Limpet Nacella mytilina ©SMSG. We have welcomed new members to our I am delighted that in all of this activity we Board – adding considerable strength and have maintained the trust and confidence depth of knowledge to our Non-Executive of the Honourable Members and the WE ARE SAERI Board capacity. I thank my Board Government of the Falkland Islands. colleagues for the time they each give There is no doubt that our Group is freely and to their organisations for delivering returns on their confidence and allowing the time for them to do it. support as well as the confidence and We have an excellent breadth of expertise support of their predecessors. | and we can continue to add to this as we CHAIRMAN look to constitute our Board Committees We have every reason to look forward over the forthcoming year. with confidence. We are not complacent. We are ambitious, hard-working and This additional Board capacity has allowed appreciative. We are grateful of the some greater focus on strategy. We have dedication of our staff and the confidence focussed to reinforce our executive of our funders, customers and leadership capacity with the expansion of collaborators. As we look toward our third our Senior Management Team with the year of independent activity and continue creation of a dedicated Deputy Director - to grow and develop, we are ever inter- Science – freeing up our excellent ested in creating more partnerships with Executive Director, Dr Paul Brickle, to organisations and individuals who share continue his seemingly boundless our vision, objectives and ethos, ambition and activities to develop SAERI and would welcome the opportunity to and deliver world class science led from engage and exp and on the solid the deeply beautiful Falkland Islands. foundations that have been created. He is supported by an excellent senior team – and the Board is optimistic of that PETER JUDGE, MBE even more can be achieved with additional CHAIRMAN capacity. 3 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT It is my pleasure to present our annual of the final project report. The Natural report for 2018/19. SAERI’s second year Capital Assessment Project funded by as a registered charity has gone well and the CSSF through the JNCC also came to WE ARE SAERI the Institute continues to fulfil its role in a successful end this financial year where the South Atlantic and the Caribbean and notable successes included the therefore maintains its position as credible submission of 21 technical reports; scientific institute that provides economic 4 territory summary reports; 2 WebGIS | benefit to the Falkland Islands. This year projects online; and a regional EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EXECUTIVE saw the appointment of new Trustees conference on St Helena. The project representing science and business. also has a number of peer reviewed papers This provides SAERI with a strong in preparation. SAERI has a number of leadership and governance force, ensuring other projects ongoing and more detail our science and the way we operate is to on them can be found in this report. the highest standards. We also continue to maintain a healthy project pipeline. It is really great to see 2018/19 saw the start of exciting new so many projects running in the Falkland projects as well as the natural end of Islands and overseas. SAERI’s project staff, others. The Darwin projects Falkland research students and our collaborations Islands / South Georgia Coastal Mapping have led to an increase in the number of project, Fine scaling the design of Falkland scientific papers again this year, with some Islands Marine Management Areas (MMA in high impact journals such as Nature Project), Soil Mapping Project and the and Proceedings of the National Academy Turks and Caicos Marine Spatial Planning of Sciences. This is particularly pleasing Project all started in 2018/2019. as our success as a research institute is The Darwin Dolphins of the Kelp project measured on the science we do and the finished with an excellent peer review impact that it has. 4 SAERI (Falklands) Ltd also seen an As always it is important to acknowledge increase in commercial activity through the great work of the SAERI team that Environmental Impact Assessments, keep the institute running and who deliver WE ARE SAERI fisheries consultancy, data management our projects in a timely and professional consultancy and the generation of manner, mucking in with other areas of our environmental baselines. The company operation. I am also tremendously grateful has produced some great work and has a to Teresa Bowers and Tara Pelembe for good deal of potential as a special purpose their tremendous hard work ensuring that | vehicle which will, in the future, allow our governance structures and policies are DIRECTOR EXECUTIVE us to reduce our subvention requests maintained to the highest standards and to FIG and provide a strong source of for creating SAERI opportunities through unrestricted funding, essential for our core the South Atlantic and beyond. operations. In summary, the SAERI Group continues to do what it was supposed Finally, I look forward to updating you to do; conducting good science whilst on SAERI’s progress as we move forward benefiting the local economy. though the next financial year. Collaboration remains key to how we DR PAUL BRICKLE operate – it is one of the building blocks EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR for our future research. One of SAERI’s important roles is to provide logistics support and advice to researchers wanting to operate around the South Atlantic and we continue to do this very well. We operate in challenging environments, and we ensure our staff and collaborators conduct their science safely and cost-effectively. 5 WHO WE ARE SAERI is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered with the Charities Commission in England under number 1173105. SAERI is also recognised on the Register of Charities in the Falkland Islands under number C47. WE ARE SAERI THE SAERI CONSTITUTION The objects of the Charity are, for the public benefit: 1. the advancement of education and research 2. the advancement of environmental E protection or improvement and ENC CI S | 3. the promotion of sustainable development*, in A WHO WE ARE particular (but not exclusively) by: AT D (a) the advancement of environmental protection & or improvement; and G (b) the advancement of education and research; IN S particularly (but not exclusively) in relation the N environment of the Falkland Islands and the E S South Atlantic region. E T *Sustainable development means “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future O generations to meet their own needs”. M E R OUR AIMS BUILD To build capacity by MAINTAIN & attracting and retaining ENHANCE great staff, by increasing our grant successes and BROADEN To maintain and enhance enhanced logistical excellence through good support capabilities for To broaden and develop governance, sound financial visiting researchers. our Focal Areas (see p.10) practices, scientific assurance consolidated and held and ethics and a fully together through the functioning and engaged IMS-GIS Data Centre. Board of Trustees. 6 OUR BOARD The SAERI Board of Trustees comprises many partners who are key strategically and scientifically. The structure includes a Board of Trustees and two sub-committees which not only leverage international relationships but also ensures science best practice. WE ARE SAERI CHAIRMAN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PETER JUDGE MBE DR PAUL BRICKLE Peter was Attorney General- Dr Brickle is currently for the Overseas Territories the Executive Director at of the Falkland Islands and SAERI as well as Reader in | South Georgia and the Biological Sciences at the OUR BOARD South Sandwich Islands from 2014 -2017.
Recommended publications
  • Full Text in Pdf Format
    Vol. 651: 163–181, 2020 MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Published October 1 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13439 Mar Ecol Prog Ser OPEN ACCESS Habitat preferences, foraging behaviour and bycatch risk among breeding sooty shearwaters Ardenna grisea in the Southwest Atlantic Anne-Sophie Bonnet-Lebrun1,2,3,8,*, Paulo Catry1, Tyler J. Clark4,9, Letizia Campioni1, Amanda Kuepfer5,6,7, Megan Tierny6, Elizabeth Kilbride4, Ewan D. Wakefield4 1MARE − Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Rua Jardim do Tabaco 34, 1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal 2Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK 3Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS — Université de Montpellier - Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier — EPHE, 34293 Montpellier cedex 5, France 4Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK 5FIFD — Falkland Islands Fisheries Department, Falkland Islands Government, PO Box 598, Stanley, Falkland Islands, FIQQ 1ZZ, UK 6SAERI — South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute, Stanley, Falkland Islands, FIQQ 1ZZ, UK 7Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn TR10 9FE, UK 8Present address: British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB4 0ET, UK 9Present address: Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, Montana 59812, USA ABSTRACT: Pelagic seabirds are important components of many marine ecosystems. The most abundant species are medium/small sized petrels (<1100 g), yet the sub-mesoscale (<10 km) distri- bution, habitat use and foraging behaviour of this group are not well understood. Sooty shearwaters Ardenna grisea are among the world’s most numerous pelagic seabirds.
    [Show full text]
  • Winter Dispersal of Rockhopper Penguins Eudyptes Chrysocome from the Falkland Islands and Its Implications for Conservation
    MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Vol. 240: 273–284, 2002 Published September 12 Mar Ecol Prog Ser Winter dispersal of rockhopper penguins Eudyptes chrysocome from the Falkland Islands and its implications for conservation Klemens Pütz1,*, Rebecca J. Ingham2, Jeremy G. Smith2, Bernhard H. Lüthi3 1Antarctic Research Trust, PO Box 685, and 2Falklands Conservation, PO Box 26, Stanley, Falkland Islands, South Atlantic 3Antarctic Research Trust (Switzerland), General-Guisanstr. 5, 8127 Forch, Switzerland ABSTRACT: In 3 successive years (1998 to 2000), the winter migration of rockhopper penguins Eudyptes chrysocome from 3 separate breeding colonies on the Falkland Islands was monitored using satellite transmitters. After their moult, 34 penguins were followed for a mean transmission period of 81 ± 21 d. While there were substantial spatial and temporal variations in migration pat- terns, we identified several foraging areas where food availability is presumably higher than else- where. Coastal areas of the Falkland Islands and South America appeared to provide a sufficient food supply, and many penguins commuted between these 2 areas, which are about 600 km apart. Rock- hopper penguins from northern breeding colonies also used areas along the slope of the Patagonian Shelf up to 39°S, about 1400 km northwards. By contrast, only a few birds from the southern breed- ing colony migrated to the Burdwood Bank, which is situated about 250 km to the south of the Falk- land Islands, and adjacent oceanic waters. None of the penguins in this study left the maritime zone of the Falkland Islands in an easterly direction to forage in oceanic waters. The mean distances covered per day by individual birds varied greatly, depending on the phase of the foraging trip.
    [Show full text]
  • Biodiversity: the UK Overseas Territories. Peterborough, Joint Nature Conservation Committee
    Biodiversity: the UK Overseas Territories Compiled by S. Oldfield Edited by D. Procter and L.V. Fleming ISBN: 1 86107 502 2 © Copyright Joint Nature Conservation Committee 1999 Illustrations and layout by Barry Larking Cover design Tracey Weeks Printed by CLE Citation. Procter, D., & Fleming, L.V., eds. 1999. Biodiversity: the UK Overseas Territories. Peterborough, Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Disclaimer: reference to legislation and convention texts in this document are correct to the best of our knowledge but must not be taken to infer definitive legal obligation. Cover photographs Front cover: Top right: Southern rockhopper penguin Eudyptes chrysocome chrysocome (Richard White/JNCC). The world’s largest concentrations of southern rockhopper penguin are found on the Falkland Islands. Centre left: Down Rope, Pitcairn Island, South Pacific (Deborah Procter/JNCC). The introduced rat population of Pitcairn Island has successfully been eradicated in a programme funded by the UK Government. Centre right: Male Anegada rock iguana Cyclura pinguis (Glen Gerber/FFI). The Anegada rock iguana has been the subject of a successful breeding and re-introduction programme funded by FCO and FFI in collaboration with the National Parks Trust of the British Virgin Islands. Back cover: Black-browed albatross Diomedea melanophris (Richard White/JNCC). Of the global breeding population of black-browed albatross, 80 % is found on the Falkland Islands and 10% on South Georgia. Background image on front and back cover: Shoal of fish (Charles Sheppard/Warwick
    [Show full text]
  • ART/SMSG/SAERI Expedition Report: Hummock Island February 2021
    ART/SMSG/SAERI Expedition Report: Hummock Island February 2021 Significance of peat dust and terrestrial erosion for marine communities around Hummock Island Amy Guest, Dr Paul Brewin, Dr Paul Brickle, Dr Karen von Juterzenka, and Dr Klemens Pütz Cosmasterias lurida (beaded starfish) and Munida gregaria (lobster krill) on a peat covered sandy substrate, Hummock Island February 2021 ART/SMSG/SAERI expedition report: Hummock Island, February 2021 Logistics Expedition dates: 4 - 14th Feb 2021 (for Daily Log see Appendix 1; Dive log see Appendix 2) Vessels: SMSG Fram (5.8 m RHIB), launched from Roy Cove; Sailing Yacht Porvenir II. Accommodation: Roy Cove self-catering, ART House Hummock Island Participants: Dr Paul Brickle (Co-PI) Dr Paul Brewin (Co-PI) Steve Cartwright (Dive Officer / Coxswain) Joost Pompert (Scientist / Surveyor) Sacha Cleminson (Scientist / Surveyor) 4th – 8th February, N.B. flew out from Fox Bay. Amy Guest (PhD Student / Surveyor / Logistics) Sally Poncet (Antarctic Research Trust) Ken Passfield (Antarctic Research Trust) Background Hummock Island lies to the west of West Falkland (Figure 1). Like on other islands in the Falklands, Hummock Island´s rocky surface is covered by peat soil. Decades of grazing on the island has led to de- vegetation of about one third of the 303 ha and subsequent substantial erosion. Large areas were replaced by black ground indicating the extension and distribution of exposed peat soil. The Antarctic Research Trust (ART) is currently re-vegetating the island by tussac planting campaigns. Tussac roots and above ground blade structures will stabilise the peat soil and, moreover, will prove very efficient in storage of atmospheric carbon.
    [Show full text]
  • Vocal Communication of Falkland Skuas
    Simona Sanvito and Filippo Galimberti Elephant Seal Research Group Vocal communication of Falkland skuas Project report - 2016/2017 Address for correspondence: Dr. Simona Sanvito, ESRG, Sea Lion Island, Falkland Islands; Phone +500 32010, Fax +500 32003 Email [email protected] www.eleseal.org Summary The Falklands skua is an important, but understudied, component of the Falklands marine megafauna and biodiversity. We carried out field work on skuas at different locations in the Falkland Islands (Sea Lion Island, Carcass Is., Saunders Is., Bleaker Is., Pebble Is. and Islet, and Steeple Jason Is.) during the 2016-2017 breeding season. We recorded skuas vocalizations in all studied sites, to follow up our project on vocal communication started in 2014 at Sea Lion Island, and we also collected preliminary data on nests location and habitat, and spatial distribution at large, at the different sites. In this report, we present the results of the field work, we summarize the nesting and breeding data, and we present some preliminary findings about the communication study. We found that skuas are actually breeding in places where they were not known to do so (e.g., Pebble Is.), and in some places we found a spatial distribution quite different from what we expected, based on traditional knowledge (e.g., at Carcass Is.). We observed a large variation in the timing of breeding between the islands. We confirmed that skuas have a complex vocal communication system, that there is individual variation in vocal behaviour and vocal reactivity of different individuals, and that calls have important individual features. We also drafted a preliminary vocal repertoire for the species, and we found that the contact call seems to be the best part of the repertoire to study individual recognition.
    [Show full text]
  • Departamento De Malvinas, Antártida E Islas Del Atlántico Sur
    Instituto de Relaciones Internacionales (IRI) - Anuario 2011 Departamento de Malvinas, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur Considerando que este pequeño aporte puede ser de gran ayuda para todos aquellos que tengan interés en este sector geográfico, que por otra parte integra el problema de soberanía que mantenemos con el Reino Unido, y por ende de nuestros intereses en la Antártida, retomamos – como lo habíamos hecho con anterioridad – con la transcripción textual de las noticias aparecidas en el periódico MercoPress - South Atlantic News Agency (http://mercopress.com/), abarcando todos los temas que - a criterio de la suscripta – puedan tener relación tanto con el tema antártico como con las Islas Malvinas María Elena Baquedano Departamento de Malvinas, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur MERCOPRESS. Monday, January 4th 2010 - 07:56 UTC Argentina recalls events of 1833 and reiterates Malvinas claim On the 177th anniversary of the “illegitimate occupation” by the United Kingdom of the Malvinas Islands, Argentina “repudiates” events of 3 January 1833 and calls on the UK to comply with the mandate of the international community and find a peaceful solution to the conflict. Liberation monument dedicated to the British troops that recovered the Falklands in June 1982 Liberation monument dedicated to the British troops that recovered the Falklands in June 1982 1 Instituto de Relaciones Internacionales (IRI) - Anuario 2011 An official communiqué from the Foreign Affairs Ministry released Sunday in Buenos Aires states that Argentina considers “incomprehensible the British negative to address the heart of the matter and to find a peaceful and definitive solution to the sovereignty controversy”, according to the international community mandate.
    [Show full text]
  • A Review of the Abundance and Distribution of Striated Caracaras Phalcoboenus Australis on the Falkland Islands Micky Reeves &Am
    A review of the abundance and distribution of Striated Caracaras Phalcoboenus australis on the Falkland Islands Aniket Sardana Micky Reeves & Sarah Crofts Falklands Conservation, May 2015 The authors dedicate this report to Mr. Ian Strange and Mr. Robin Woods whose earlier surveys laid much ground work. This work was funded by: Falklands Conservation is a company limited by guarantee in England & Wales #3661322 and Registered Charity #1073859. Registered as an Overseas Company in the Falkland Islands. Roy Smith “These birds, generally known among sealers by the name of “Johnny” rook, partake of the form and nature of the hawk and crow… Their claws are armed with large and strong talons, like those of an eagle; they are exceedingly bold and the most mischievous of all the feathered creation. The sailors who visit these islands, being often much vexed at their predatory tricks, have bestowed different names upon them, characteristic of their nature, as flying monkeys, flying devils….” Charles Bernard 1812‐13 “A tameness or lack of wariness is an example of the loss of defensive adaptations.... an ecological naiveté…these animals aren’t imbeciles. Evolution has merely prepared them for a life in a world that is simpler and more innocent”…. where humans are entirely outside their experience. David Quammen (Island Biography in an age of extinction) 1996 1 ABSTRACT The Falkland Islands are globally important for the Striated Caracaras (Phalcoboenus australis). They reside mainly on the outer islands of the archipelago in strong associated with seabird populations, and where human interference is relatively low. A survey of the breeding population conducted in the austral summers of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 indicates that the current population is likely to be the highest it has been for perhaps the last 100 years.
    [Show full text]
  • International Tours & Travel the Falkland Islands Travel Specialists
    Welcome to the Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands Travel Specialists International Tours & Travel www.falklandislands.travel FALKLAND ISLANDS Grand Steeple 1186 Jason Jason 779 Pebble Is. Marble Mt 909 Cape Dolphin First Mt 723 Carcass Is. THE ROOKERY THE NECK 1384 Kepple Is. Rookery Mt Elephant Saunders Is. Beach Farm West Point Is. 1211 Salvador Cli Mt Coutts Hill Douglas 926 Dunbar 751 Salvador Hill Johnson’s 1709 Mt Rosalie Port Station Volunteer Byron Heights Shallow 1396 San Carlos Harbour Mt D’Arcy Point Bay Bombilla Hill Hill Cove 1370 938 er S 648 v RACE POINT a Ri arrah n Port Louis W FARM C a r l o s Roy Cove R BERKLEY SOUND San Carlos i v e Teal Inlet Port r WEST FALKLAND KINGSFORD Long Island 2297 Howard VALLEY FARM Malo Hill 658 Crooked Mt Adam Mt Maria 871 KING 2158 River Mt Low Inlet Muer Jack Mt Marlo Murrell Passage Is. GEORGE 1796 Mt Kent Mt Longdon BAY D 1504 Smoko Mt Two Sisters Cape 2312 1392 Mt Tumbledown N Mt William Pembroke Chartres Saladero Mt Usborne Mt Wickham U 2056 Stanley O Blu Mt Moody Fitzroy River Dunnose Head 1816 S New Haven Mount Pleasant Cove New Is. Little Airport Fitzroy Chartres Darwin Mt Sulivan Spring Point 1554 Goose QUEEN D Lake Green Bertha’s CHARLOTTE Sulivan N Beach Beaver Is. BAY A LAFONIA CHOISEUL SOUND Weddell Is. L EAST FALKLAND 1256 Fox Bay (E) K Mt Weddell Fox Bay (W) Walker South L Harbour Creek A Lively Is. Port Edgar F Mt Emery Mt Young 1164 1115 North Port Arm Mt Alice Stephens 1185 Speedwell Is.
    [Show full text]
  • Seasonal Micro-Migration in a Farm-Island Population of Striated Caracaras (Phalcoboenus Australis) in the Falkland Islands Katie J
    Harrington et al. Movement Ecology (2018) 6:4 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-018-0122-8 RESEARCH Open Access Seasonal micro-migration in a farm-island population of striated caracaras (Phalcoboenus australis) in the Falkland Islands Katie J. Harrington1,2*, Suzan Pole-Evans3, Micky Reeves4, Marc Bechard5, Melissa Bobowski1, David R. Barber1, Kalinka Rexer-Huber1, Nicolas Lecomte6 and Keith L. Bildstein1 Abstract Background: The extent to which seasonal changes in food availability affect small-scale movements in free- ranging populations of birds of prey is relatively little studied. Here we describe a seasonal “micro-migration” of a farm-island population of striated caracaras (Phalcoboenus australis) in the Falkland Islands in response to seasonal changes in the availability of seabird carcasses. We banded more than 450 individuals on Saunders Island, deployed archival and satellite GPS data loggers on 17 individuals, and monitored movements within and between two feeding areas on Saunders Island, a “marine-subsidized” site near seabird colonies and an anthropogenic “human- subsidized” farm site 16 km to the southeast. Results: During 67 observation days between 2010 and 2015, resightings of 312 banded caracaras were greater at the marine-subsidized site during austral summer than winter, and the total daily resightings varied significantly between spring versus summer, summer versus winter, autumnversusspring,andautumnversus winter. Resightings were higher at the human-subsidized site in austral winter than summer and the total daily resightings varied significantly across all bi-seasonal comparisons. Resightings indicated that at least 12 of 197 birds (6.1%) moved between the human- and marine-subsidized sites at least once during the same winter, 15 of 335 birds (4.5%) did so in spring, none of 164 birds did so in summer, and 16 of 297 birds (5.4%) did so in autumn.
    [Show full text]
  • 29. Evolution of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean Basin
    29. EVOLUTION OF THE SOUTHWESTERN ATLANTIC OCEAN BASIN: RESULTS OF LEG 36, DEEP SEA DRILLING PROJECT The Shipboard Scientific Party1 Together with Wayne Harris, and William V. Sliter INTRODUCTION cores only and will be considered only briefly here. The four successful sites of the leg were drilled on the Leg 36 started in Ushuaia, Argentina, on 4 April Falkland (Malvinas) Plateau and in the Malvinas Outer 1974 and finished in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 22 May Basin. The Falkland Plateau extends eastwards from 1974. It completed the second of three austral summer the continental shelf of the South American continent seasons of drilling planned for Antarctic waters during (Figure 1). The 500-fathom submarine contour lies east Phase III of the Deep Sea Drilling Project. In fact Leg of the Falkland Islands which consist of a meta- 36 brought the Antarctic drilling program of Phase III morphic complex overlain by Paleozoic-Triassic sedi- to an end, because the plan to drill south of Africa dur- mentary strata deformed in the early Mesozoic and cut ing the austral summer of 1974-75 had to be abandoned by mafic dykes (Greenway, 1972). The strata can be for want of a suitable escort vessel. correlated with rocks of comparable age in South The two main objectives of Leg 36 as originally con- America and southern Africa. There is therefore no ceived by the Antarctic Advisory Panel were to in- reason to doubt that the western portion of the plateau vestigate the geologic histories of the Scotia Arc and of at least is underlain by continental crust.
    [Show full text]
  • Census of the Southern Giant Petrel Population of the Falkland Islands 2004/2005
    Bird Conservation International (2008) 18:118–128. ß BirdLife International 2008 doi: 10.1017/S0959270908000105 Printed in the United Kingdom Census of the Southern Giant Petrel population of the Falkland Islands 2004/2005 TIM A. REID and NIC HUIN Summary A complete census was taken of all colonies of Southern Giant Petrels Macronectes giganteus within the Falkland Islands in 2004/05. The breeding population of the islands was estimated to be approximately 19,529 pairs (range 18,420–20,377). Southern Giant Petrels were found to breed in 38 locations around the islands, with colony size varying from one to 10,936. The majority of colonies were concentrated around the south of Falkland Sound, and to the west of West Falkland. Whilst there has been no previous census of the total population of the islands, there is a strong indication that the population has increased since the 1950s. The reasons for such an increase in population remain unclear in light of current knowledge. Development of our understanding of the breeding biology and demography of this species in the Falkland Islands is necessary, as is the need to conduct such a census every five years, with a few key colonies to be monitored every season. From the results obtained here, the conservation status of the Southern Giant Petrel, currently listed as ‘Vulnerable’, could be downgraded to ‘Near Threatened’. Introduction Concerns have been raised over the conservation status of many species of albatross and petrels throughout the world. These concerns derive from observations of significant numbers of these seabirds being killed in longline (e.g.
    [Show full text]
  • Census of the Black-Browed Albatross Population of the Falkland Islands 2000 and 2005
    Census of the Black-browed Albatross population of the Falkland Islands 2000 and 2005 Nic Huin & Tim Reid Falklands Conservation June 2006 Falklands Conservation is a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales no 3661322, a Registered charity no 1073859 and registered as an Overseas Company in the Falkland Islands. Registered office: 1 Princes Avenue, Finchley, London N3 2DA, UK Visit our website: www.falklands-nature.demon.co.uk SUMMARY The first two complete censuses of the Black-browed Albatross population of the Falkland Islands were conducted in November 2000 and 2005. The albatross breeds on twelve different islands to the west and south of the archipelago. Colony size ranged from 30 to 181,000 breeding pairs. The total number of breeding pairs in the Falklands changed from 414,268 ± 12,160 in 2000 to 399,416 ± 9,743 in 2005. This represents a decline of 0.7% per annum of original numbers. Although no previous complete census exists, combining historical data showed that the population consisted of around 437,855 pairs in 1995. This represents a total loss of 38,439 pairs in the last ten years, or a decrease of just below 1% per annum. Such changes are not consistent between seasons and sites. The creation of a photographic database helped in identifying areas of the colonies that have shrunk due to the reduction in breeding numbers. The Falkland Islands now holds 65% of the world population of this species, which should retain its status of Endangered species. This decrease is linked with increased mortality at sea due to fishing activities such as longlinning and trawling, not only in Falklands waters, but throughout its range in the southern hemisphere.
    [Show full text]