Threats

What are the threats to the birds?

Illegal dumping over cliff edge at Rdum tal-Madonna

In recent years, Yelkouan Shearwater populations have been declining. They are facing a variety of man-made threats. For example:

• people leave rubbish from picnics and camping on site. This attracts rats, which then eat the shearwater chicks
• birds get caught by accident after swallowing baited longline fishing hooks
• noise and light near the colony from land and sea disturbs the birds and prevents them from breeding

Litter left on site by visitors

• on some sites, inappropriate development has reduced the breeding area available
• human disturbance by hunters or ferreting for rabbits can cause birds to desert their nests
• dumping rubbish such as cars or building rubble over the cliffs covers burrow entrances

These threats are all a result of human activity (even the rats were introduced by humans!). The project is about taking action to eliminate or reduce these threats.

Disco boats close to the cliffs

Predation by rats

Why is it important to protect these birds?

Seabirds are our early warning system. Declines in their population tell us if something is wrong with our ecosystem like a decline in fish stocks or pollution events at sea. And eventually, those problems will affect us humans as well. The earlier we detect these problems and deal with them, the better for all of us.