Why are birds so important?

Dr Chris Gibson

Principal Adviser (Marine)

Natural England

CULTURAL IMPORTANCE

The importance of birds generally and seabirds specifically:

SCIENTIFIC IMPORTANCE

A large proportion of world/biogeographic populations of some species

of seabird breed in UK or are reliant on UK waters

• one of most important areas in the world for seabirds

• almost 8 million seabirds from 25 species breed in Britain and Ireland

• including 90% of the world's Manx Shearwaters, 68% of Northern Gannets and

60% of Great Skuas

• often highly aggregated

Why?

• an extensive coastline offering a wide spectrum of nesting habitats, ranging from high

cliffs and offshore islands to dunes and shingle beaches

• a rich and diverse marine environment served by deep water and surface currents,

which encourage high primary productivity and associated growth of zooplankton and fish,

both major food sources

• a ready food supply for seabirds at sea in the form of fisheries waste and discards

• minimal (recent) human exploitation of seabirds and their eggs.

Northern Gannet

• Global population of between 950 000 and 1 200 000

individuals

• 68% of the world population breeds around the coasts of

Great Britain and Ireland

Lesser black-backed gull and red-throated diver

• circumpolar breeding distribution

• UK wintering population around

17,000 birds

• Outer Thames area alone has 7,500

of those

• subspecies graellsii

• 530,000-570,000 birds globally

• 62% breed in the UK

• 57% in England

• large colonies, some declining

• increase in urban nesting

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE

RSPB case study of Bempton Cliffs’ value to local economy

•11.2 FTE jobs directly on reserve

• £1.8 million tourist spend attracted to local area

• supporting 40 FTE jobs indirectly

LEGAL IMPORTANCE

• over 100 years of statutory bird protection in UK

– initial focus on exploitation/persecution

• NPACA 1949; WCA 1981; CROWA 2000

– site protection

• EU Birds Directive

• EU Habitats Directive

– Special sites/special birds

– Plans and projects

– Wider population/habitat protection

– Precautionary principle

– Determinitive

• EIA Directives

– Procedural

– Advisory

NSIP ISSUES

– Evidence gaps

• distribution, linkage, avoidance rates etc

– Advances in CR modelling

– Impact of displacement

• buffers

– Transboundary issues

– ‘apples and pears’ issue for CIA

– CIA with other sectors potentially

acting on same receptors

• oil and gas, aggregates, fishing

CONCLUSION

• Nature conservation and offshore wind industry not far

apart philosophically

• We support offshore wind in the right place

• Developers/regulators want us to be able to advise

where ‘the right place’ is, to keep them out of courts and

give some certainty that projects will be able to proceed

• Two sides of the same sustainable development coin

Thank you!