A study into the global impact of seabirds has revealed the crucial role they play in connecting humans to oceans and islands.
The Lancaster University study, published in Nature Reviews Biodiversity, examined how seabirds worldwide aid the flow of nutrients from sea to land and back again.
According to a Lancaster Environment Centre press release, the researchers described the "circular seabird economy" as vital to the ocean's ecosystem's overall health. Seabirds feed from the seas and defecate incredibly nutrient-rich waste over land and sea.
That waste, also known as guano, is an incredible natural fertilizer. It's so powerful that, in the 19th century, Spain unsuccessfully attempted to capture the guano-covered Chincha Islands from its former colony, Peru.
Though chemical fertilizers have since supplanted guano for agricultural use, it is still highly beneficial to the plants around the birds.
"These nutrient flows, when they leach back into surrounding waters, support coral growth, bolster fish biomass, and enhance the resilience of marine ecosystems to the effects of climate change," explained Nicholas Graham, a Lancaster University professor and co-author of the study, in the release. "The ecological benefits of these natural nutrient flows are really very dramatic."
The study addressed some of the considerable gaps in the scholarship, particularly lesser-studied but vital habitats like mangroves and seagrass. The latter is one of the greatest natural carbon sinks in the world. In fact, seagrass traps and stores carbon 35 times faster than rainforests, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Unfortunately, around a third of all seabird species face extinction. The low-lying islands they rely on for reproduction are in turn vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Accordingly, the study's authors are calling for more awareness and stronger protections at the local level for seabirds. They cite proven methods like removing invasive species and the translocation of chicks to more suitable habitats as viable solutions.
As Stephanie Borrelle of BirdLife International explained in the release, "By removing invasive species and reconnecting nutrient flows, we can restore island and marine systems at scale — and deliver lasting benefits for biodiversity."
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