A small island off the Welsh coast has become a beacon of hope for one of the world's most beloved seabirds, the BBC reported.
Conservationists counted a record 43,626 puffins on Skomer Island this year.
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales manages this 1.13-square-mile nature reserve, less than a mile from the Pembrokeshire coast. This achievement is remarkable because puffin populations are declining worldwide because of atmospheric pollution and food shortages.
Skomer Island's success story is a blueprint for protecting wildlife. The island's isolation shields puffins from predators such as rats, cats, and foxes that threaten colonies elsewhere. This protection allows the birds to breed, creating a haven where families can thrive.
These charismatic seabirds attract around 25,000 visitors annually, supporting local tourism and connecting people with nature. When wildlife populations recover, entire ecosystems become healthier and more resilient.
In coastal communities, healthy seabird populations are indicators of ocean health. Puffins feed on small fish, so their breeding success tells scientists that marine food webs in the surrounding waters function properly.
The island also hosts 350,000 breeding pairs of Manx shearwaters and thousands of guillemots and razorbills, making it a critical refuge for multiple seabird species. This biodiversity creates a more stable ecosystem that can better withstand environmental changes.
"We think [the counting accuracy] is probably within a few hundred or perhaps a thousand birds," said Rob Knott, Skomer Island's visitor officer. The team counts puffins each evening during breeding season, splitting the island into sections to track birds on land, sea, and in flight.
Knott said the island's visitors are often "mind-blown" by the number of puffins they encounter.
"They're doing well here, but we can point to this as a good example. There's other places where these numbers are really going down quite rapidly," Knott explained. "We're cautiously optimistic about the numbers that we're seeing."
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