PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Zino’s petrel (Pterodroma madeira) and Desertas petrel (Pterodroma deserta) are two of the world’s most threatened seabirds, and are included in Annex I of the EU Birds Directive. They are single-island endemics to the Madeira archipelago. Zino’s petrel is listed as ‘Endangered’ (IUCN Red List) because it has a small population (about 80 pairs), breeding on small and fragile cliff ledges in the eastern mountainous massif of Madeira. Desertas petrel is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ because it also has a small population (about 180 pairs), breeding only on the small island of Bugio (3 km2) in the Desertas Islands. The Eastern Mountainous Massif and Desertas Islands, where the project areas are included, are Natura 2000 sites classified as SACs (PTMAD002 and PTMADDES001, respectively) and SPAs (PT0063 and PT0041, respectively). The main threats that can drive both seabird species towards extinction in the short term are: (i) habitat degradation and consequent risk of nest damage by forest fires (P. madeira) and flooding and ground collapse caused by heavy localised rain (P. deserta), both exacerbated by climate change; (ii) predation by invasive alien species (IAS) (P. madeira); (iii) light pollution on land (P. madeira) and at sea (both species); (iv) insufficient knowledge about population size and trends (both species) and nesting site location (P. madeira); (v) human use of breeding areas for leisure and tourism (P. madeira); and (vi) an outdated monitoring scheme and general management that is not adequate to deal with these and other emerging threats in a sustainable way.
OBJECTIVES
The overall goal of the LIFE Pterodromas4future project is to improve and secure the conservation status of two Pterodroma species that are endemic to the archipelago of Madeira: Zino’s petrel (Pterodroma madeira) and Desertas petrel (Pterodroma deserta), currently ‘Endangered’ and ‘Vulnerable’ according to the IUCN Red List, respectively.
The specific aim is to improve breeding habitat resilience to climate change and consequent natural disasters (e.g. forest fires and extreme weather events), and reduce adult and juvenile mortality during the breeding season.
The project will contribute to the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030, Habitats Directive, Birds Directive, Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, and EU Regulation No 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species. It is also in line with the UN Convention on Biological Biodiversity.
RESULTS
Expected results:
Monitoring of the breeding populations:
- Report on the current status of the two species;
- 3D map of putative new breeding ledges for P. madeira with remote sensing;
- New nests geo-referenced, with safe accessibilities and non-invasive monitoring;
- Transit corridors for P. madeira mapped with radar;
- Improved knowledge of breeding for both species, using 20 automatic cameras recording 10 nests;
- Species Action Plans revised, and a contingency plan for natural disaster established (e.g. wildfire).
Habitat restoration and resilience to climate change:
- 3D characterisation of topography and vegetation cover in eastern mountainous massif with remote sensing;
- Firebreak built in a 60 ha area around breeding ledges of P. madeira;
- Ledges with P. madeira nests free of invasive plants;
- Increase in the number of potential breeding ledges by removal of broom cover;
- 50 new artificial nests installed for P. deserta and 20 for P. madeira on well-preserved ledges;
- Increased breeding population by 20% for P. madeira and 10% for P. deserta, by eliminating predation and improving nest resilience, ensuring future sustainability of both species.
Mammal predator control:
- Bird fatalities caused by cats and rodents down to zero;
- Creation of a cat early-detection system based on the placement of 6 automatic cameras, to signal at least 90% of the cats entering the core breeding area;
- Enlargement of the cat exclusion zone with another 10 traps placed in remote locations, to decrease by 80% the flow of new animals into the breeding area;
- Cat traps (n=40) equipped with Minkpolice sensors;
- Installation of 20 Goodnature rat traps.
Light pollution and awareness campaigns:
- Reduce by 50% the number of birds affected by light pollution (LP);
- LP mapped at colonies, at exit/entry corridors and in coastal waters;
- Working groups created to minimise light pollution at sea and along transit routes, inclusion of regulations in Management Plan of Desertas and production of good-practices manual;
- Engagement of 15 stakeholders/year to reduce light pollution during P. madeira fledging;
- 90 awareness actions, and education programme with 2 600 participants;
- International conference on the topics of the project.
