The Birds of Conservation Concern report, compiled by several conservation groups including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), shows a sharp decline for five species, added to those already listed as endangered. CGTN’s Kitty Logan reports
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00:00A flock of herring gulls, a familiar sight on the UK coast, but seabird numbers here
00:07have been dwindling for decades, a recent survey adding five species to the endangered
00:13red list.
00:14Back in 1996 there was one seabird on the red list, this year we've seen the longest
00:19addition to the red list so we're now at 10 seabirds of the 28 that were assessed.
00:24Among them the common gull, no longer as common.
00:28The arctic tern is also at risk, struggling due to a shortage of sand eels.
00:33So many of our key seabirds that are now on that red list, puffins, kittiwakes, massively
00:39rely on sand eels.
00:40Sand eels are one of the foundation forage fish species, you know that baseline of the
00:44food chain almost in the North Sea.
00:47Conservationists say a decline in seabirds is a key indicator of damage to the marine
00:52ecosystem.
00:54There are now 10 types of seabird species on the red list and one of the biggest challenges
00:59they face is simply finding enough food.
01:03Changes in our climate are thought to be contributing to that.
01:07The UK hosts some of the world's most important seabird breeding colonies, around half a million
01:13nest on these cliffs every year.
01:16They face increasingly extreme weather and crucial changes in the sea.
01:21As our sea surface temperatures warm, the prey that seabirds rely on is moving north
01:26and so this is affecting how successfully they can nest in places like the UK.
01:31Perched on those same cliffs, the tiny puffin.
01:35Its precarious status boosted by a recent policy change.
01:40In March, the UK government banned sand eel fishing in its North Sea waters.
01:44The EU is challenging the decision, but it's welcomed by conservationists.
01:50By simply removing that pressure, allowing these fish the time and space to recover,
01:55we are really giving resilience back to nature.
02:01But nothing can protect from devastating outbreaks of bird flu.
02:05The disease has wiped out tens of thousands of seabirds.
02:09Seabirds face many other threats, ranging from pollution to development at sea.
02:15Overfishing and trawling the seafloor harms all marine biodiversity.
02:20Nature campaigners want change.
02:22So we know that the ocean can bounce back.
02:24We know that too much of UK seas are currently unprotected and we really want this new government
02:33to take those threats seriously and present a new vision for ocean recovery.
02:39Protected areas like this RSPB reserve help seabirds thrive and source food more readily.
02:45Some species do show signs of recovery and nature groups believe the tide could turn
02:51for others with the right action at sea.
02:54For now, it's a waiting game for any sign of positive change.
02:59Kitty Logan, CGTN, on the Sussex Coast.