Yahoo News Northumberland breeding seabird's addition to red list 'very worrying'
The National Trust has said it is committed to supporting precious and important seabird populations in Northumberland after Arctic terns were added to the UK's red list of greatest conservation concern.
Arctic terns are one of five seabird species added to the UK's red list, after scientists reviewed the status of the country's breeding seabird populations. They have also identified Leach's Storm-petrel, the common gull, the great black-backed gull, Arctic tern and great skua among Britain's most at risk birds.
The join another five threatened seabird species already on the red list - the kittiwake, herring gull, roseate tern, Arctic skua and puffin. The update was published in the journal British Birds on Monday, following the recent assessment of 28 seabird species.
The five additions bring the total number of species on the red list to 73 of 245 regularly occurring bird species in the UK, equating to 30%. Arctic terns have breeding populations at the Farne Islands and the Long Nanny Nature Reserve on the North Northumberland Coast.
The National Trust, which manages the sites, said that Avian Influenza (AI/bird flu) had played a part in the birds' decline. Ben McCarthy, head of nature conservation and restoration ecology at the National Trust, said: "It is sad to see the impacts that ongoing pressures like avian influenza are having on our important seabird populations, such as our Arctic Terns who have now been Red Listed after facing several years of challenging conditions.
"We are committed to support these precious and important seabird populations recover through our active conservation and monitoring, as they are a key indicator of the state of our marine environment."
Katie-jo Luxton, global conservation director for the RSPB added: "This latest health check on our seabird populations reveals devastating declines in the overall status of the UK’s breeding seabirds.
"As an island nation it is perhaps not surprising that we are globally important for seabird populations but what has really shocked us is the sheer number of our seabird species now on the red list. We need urgent action from our governments to address this dire situation to tackle the drivers of these declines and enable recovery."
Duncan Hutt, director of conservation at Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said: "It's never good news that a bird such as the Arctic Tern is added to the red list as it shows that they are serious concerns about them, so their addition to the list is very worrying.
"That being said, adding them to the list is call to action to everybody to help do what is needed to help protect this amazing, and far travelled bird. We should see it as an honour to host this species after the huge journeys they undertake each winter and I know that so much is being done locally to help them."
There was better news for other species who are also found on the Northumberland Coast. Shag species moved from the red to the amber list, and the Black Guillemot joined the Cormorant on the green list as new information helped to shed light on their populations.
