The Puffin Joins the Red List of Conservation Concern

Leading bird conservation organisations from the UK work together to  review the status of birds on teh conservation list in the Uk, Channel Islands and the Isle of Mann. How much of a conservation concern is dependant on all the information gathered. 

Bird species that breed or overwinter in these palces are checked against a set of guidelines to be placed on either the RED, AMBER or GREEN list. The List the birds are allocated to indicates the level of Conservation Concern.

Information from the UK's bird monitoring schemes is used to place birds on the appropriate list. Bird species are moved to the relevant list as and when the information changes.

The Puffin, one of the UK's breeding seebirds, has become a cause for concern and has been added to the Red List. Red is the highest conservation priority needing urgent action. Along with the Shag and the Kittiwake, the Puffin is amongst the most important seabird life in the UK and is recognised with global importance. 

Climate change may be having a negative impact on some of the Red-listed seabirds by disrupting marine food chains. This may cause  the suitable climate space  for these birds to shift away from the Uk. This will then have a knock on effect with other ecosystems and wildlife.

Through close monitoring of breeding pairs of bird, chick counts, and  positional tracking of birds more accurate information can be gathered which not only informs the status of the individual bird species but also adds to the information that tells the story of what is happening  globally to the envornment.

(RSPB web site 2021)