MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Falklands attend Patagonian shelf forum
Around 60% of the world's Black-browed Albatrosses breed in the Falkland Islands During late March, Falklands Conservation, as part of Birdlife International, attended the fifth meeting of the Forum for the Conservation of the Patagonian shelf and areas of influence in Buenos Aires.
The forum is comprised of many non-governmental conservation organisations, including the Wildlife Conservation Society who own Grand and Steeple Jason in the Falklands, and research institutes involved in biological and oceanographic research in the region. The forum aims to conserve one of the most productive marine areas on the planet, that of the Patagonian Shelf which runs from southern Brazil, right down to the tip of South America, and extends to around 300 miles off the continental coast. Naturally we are a particularly important part of this system here in the Falklands. Thanks to the fabulous productivity of the Patagonian region, the area has a long history of human exploitation, initially through whaling, sealing and the harvest of seabirds for their oil and guano. Now of course fisheries are of vital economic importance to the countries on the shelf, and unfortunately since they're not as well managed as the fisheries here, over-exploitation is one of the many threats facing the wildlife of the area. Issues such as these, invasive species, and possible effects of climate change were discussed in the forum as well as how conservation practices can best be conducted regardless of the political issues of the area. Our contribution of a review on the research, techniques and results of the bird scaring equipment used in the fisheries here, and how co-operation with fishing companies and government has resulted in major reductions in the levels of fishing associated bird deaths was received very positively. Hopefully the good practices demonstrated here can be used as a model for conservation efforts throughout the region. The Forum will have a website up and running within the next few months and aims to promote practical solutions to the problems of overexploitation, marine pollution and seabird deaths in the fisheries. Only by supporting this international conservation initiative can we ensure the preservation of our iconic Falklands wildlife. By Isaac Forster - Falklands Conservation Penguin News
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