Namibia's seabirds

The Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (BCLME) is used by around 82 seabird species, of which seven are endemic to it and 16 species that breed within the BCLME. Additionally at least 4.4 million birds of c. 66 other species (excluding rare vagrants) migrate to or through the BCLME. Non-breeding migrants may remain within the BCLME year round.

Eggs and guano of formerly abundant seabirds were heavily harvested in the 19th and 20th centuries but decreases in seabird populations led to cessation of these industries at islands. Guano is still scraped from platforms. Seabird ecotourism has grown.

There have been large recent decreases in numbers of African Penguin Spheniscus demersus, Cape Gannet Morus capensis and Cape Phalacrocorax capensis and Bank P. neglectus Cormorants and redistributions of other species away from the centre of the Benguela ecosystem towards its northern or eastern boundaries.

In 2020, seabirds endemic to the Benguela ecosystem and albatrosses and petrels migrating into it had high proportions of globally Near Threatened or Threatened species. The primary threat to four Endangered endemic birds is scarcity of forage resources. A Vulnerable endemic - Damara tern - is susceptible to habitat degradation and disturbance. The principal threat to visiting albatrosses and petrels is by-catch mortality.

Identification and effective protection of Important Bird Area breeding and marine foraging and aggregation sites, and a suite of complementary measures, are needed to conserve the seabirds and ensure continuation of their economic and ecosystem benefits into the future.

From: Seabirds of the Benguela Ecosystem: Utilisation, Long-Term Changes and Challenges. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96326