The populations of shearwaters and shearwaters are in serious decline. We held a workshop in Tenerife to lay the foundations of the conservation plan for both species.

The populations of shearwater (Puffinus assimilis baroli) and shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) are in serious decline. Experts and representatives of the central and Canary Islands administrations have participated in a workshop in San Cristóbal de la Laguna (Tenerife) to analyse the scientific information available on these species present on the Canary Islands coasts and agree on proposals that serve as a basis for the preparation of the conservation plan that contributes to improving their status.

The celebration of this meeting is part of the conservation actions planned in the LIFE IP INTEMARES project, which is coordinated by the Ministry for Ecological Transition through the Biodiversity Foundation, and acts as a partner through the General Directorate of Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea. The Spanish Institute of Oceanography, the Spanish Fisheries Confederation, SEO/Birdlife and WWF-Spain also participate as partners.

In this context, scientists have collected and analysed the available information on these species with the aim of defining the management, conservation, monitoring and research measures necessary to improve their conservation status.

The lesser shearwater and the shearwater are less well known than other species, such as the Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus), the most endangered seabird in Europe. These species enter nests during the night between January and July to breed. The lesser shearwater breeds on islets and cliffs with vertical walls that are difficult to access and, after this period, they begin their dispersive movements, which are still little known.

For its part, the shearwater usually breeds inland in ravines with abundant vegetation. After the breeding season, it becomes a highly migratory species, even reaching the coasts of South America or South Africa, where it usually spends the wintering months before returning to the Canary Islands.

It is estimated that the current population of both species is below 300 pairs. Due to the sharp decline they have experienced in recent years, they have been included in the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species with the category of “vulnerable”.

Among its main threats are the destruction of nests by predators introduced into their habitat, light pollution, spills and possible interactions with fishing gear.

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