Rockhopper Penguin

Penguins in Peril

One of the world’s favourite penguins is in serious decline worldwide

A new BirdLife International report identifies key threats as well as actions to help save the penguin species.

There are two species of Rockhopper Penguins live in the Indian, South Atlantic and Pacific Oceans - the Northern Rockhopper Penguin and the Southern Rockhopper Penguin. Both of these species have been disappearing from the southern oceans.

Since the 1950s, there has been a catastrophic 95 per cent loss of Northern Rockhopper Penguins. In the past 37 years alone, Northern Rockhopper Penguin has decline by 57 per cent and Southern Rockhopper Penguin by 34 per cent.

Until now, the causes of the declines have been largely unknown so experts from across the globe met in Edinburgh to discuss the declines and to outline the research and conservation actions which are urgently needed.

The results, presented in this new publication, provide all of the latest scientific information highlighting potential causes of the declines such as climate change, pollution, changes in the marine food web, disease and fishery interactions. Importantly, the report also sets out the steps which must be taken to help save them.

"At last, in this new report we have an international action plan to address the catastrophic declines of rockhopper penguins", said Professor John Croxall, Chairman of BirdLife's Global Seabird Programme.

"Gaps in knowledge on many aspects to the rockhopper penguin's life cycle have to be resolved for effective conservation steps to be taken in order to reverse its population decline", added Prof. Croxall. "These need tackling as a matter of urgency."

Regional priorities for action are outlined for Tristan da Cunha, the Patagonian and Pacific Ocean regions and Chile. These include population counts, research on survival, breeding, and diet and potential interaction with priority threats in the marine environment such as pollution, fisheries, shifts in nature and location of resources.

"Implementation of this report will require long term funding, particularly for demographic research and international collaboration", concluded Professor Croxall. Governments, institutions, scientists and all individuals concerned about penguins need to read this report and help undertake its recommendations.