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The Scott Islands have been
recognized as a globally
significant Important Bird
Area (IBA) as part of an
international program spearheaded
by BirdLife International.
The Canadian Nature Federation
and Bird Studies Canada
coordinate the Canadian
IBA program. The Scott Islands
stretch 46 km in a northwesterly
direction from Cape Scott,
at the northwest tip of
Vancouver Island, British
Columbia. More than 2 million
seabirds nest on the islands
every year, including 55
% of the world’s population
of Cassin’s Auklets,
7 % of the world’s
population of Rhinoceros
Auklets, and 2 % of the
world’s population
of Tufted Puffins. The islands
are well protected by their
remoteness, existing legislation
and solid governmental and
public support for their
conservation. The three
outermost islands (Beresford,
Sartine and Triangle islands)
are ecological reserves,
managed by BC Parks, for
which access is limited
to research and requires
a permit. The two innermost
islands (Lanz and Cox islands)
have been designated under
the British Columbia Park
Act as a Class A park. These
five separate provincial
protected areas comprise
the Scott Islands.
Five
threats have been identified
for seabird populations
of the Scott Islands:
consequences of animal introductions,
oil pollution, fisheries,
disturbance, and climate
change. Raccoon and Mink
were intentionally introduced
in the 1930s to Cox and
Lanz islands and likely
decimated nesting seabirds
on those islands. These
introduced animals take
young seabirds prospecting
for burrows and thus may
still represent a drain
on bird populations. The
introduction of rats, cats
or other introduced mammals
to the ecological reserves
would have disastrous consequences,
as it has in seabird colonies
elsewhere in British Columbia
and around the world. Large
oil spills kill seabirds
directly, whereas low-volume
chronic spills have sublethal
effects, such as lowered
reproductive performance.
The possible lifting of
the moratorium on offshore
oil and gas exploration
may result in increased
risk of oil pollution, disturbance
and reduction of food supply.
The impact of fisheries
on seabirds remains an unquantified
phenomenon, but anecdotal
information suggests that
some of the bird species,
which nest in the Scott
Islands, are caught in gill-net
fisheries, and may be indirectly
affected by the effects
on their prey from commercial
fisheries. Disturbance to
nesting seabirds from visitors
and researchers can cause
birds to abandon their nests,
particularly if it occurs
during the egg-incubation
period. However, this is
likely a minor problem,
as the islands’ remoteness
limits the number of visitors,
and researchers primarily
focus their activities during
the chick-rearing period.
Climate change represents
a potentially major threat
to the seabird populations
by changing the abundance
and distribution of the
food supply. This phenomenon
however is largely unmanageable
at the local scale.
This
conservation plan outlines
a series of action items
necessary for the conservation
of the bird populations
of the Scott Islands. It
focuses primarily on research,
particularly on monitoring
population trends and changes
in reproductive performance,
identifying feeding areas
and prey items, and quantifying
the threats to seabirds
from fisheries and introduced
predators on Cox and Lanz
islands. The protection
of the islands as secure
breeding habitat can be
accomplished by preventing
the introduction of rats
and other mammals, establishing
a response-system in case
of their introduction, eradicating
Mink and Raccoon from Cox
and Lanz islands, and potentially
securing feeding areas via
the creation of a nearby
Marine Protected Area (MPA).
In addition, this conservation
plan outlines an education
program to sensitize the
public on the need for conservation
measures for the protection
of seabirds.
The
conservation of seabirds
on the Scott Islands provides
a number of opportunities,
including an increased understanding
of ocean ecosystems, limited
local economic development,
and partnerships between
government agencies, First
Nations, resource organizations
and conservation groups
concerned with the Scott
Islands. The uniqueness
and value for global biodiversity
make the Scott Islands an
extremely valuable natural
resource for Canada, and
for British Columbia in
particular. Failure to protect
the birds and their habitat
would result in a significant
decrease in the world’s
population of seabirds.
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