Library:Pollution, habitat loss, fishing, and climate change as critical threats to penguins (research)
Pollution, habitat loss, fishing, and climate change as critical threats to penguins is an article by Phil N. Trathan et al., published in the journal Conservation Biology in 2015 (first published in August 2014). The article examines how human activities affect the marine ecosystems and populations of 18 penguin species in the southern hemisphere. It also proposes some conservation actions and recommendations to protect penguins and their habitats.
Summary
Human activities have had a significant impact on the world's oceans. To better understand the potential risks faced by marine species and communities in the southern hemisphere, we examined one particular group: penguins (Spheniscidae). Our aim was to identify the main threats penguins face and propose ways to mitigate these risks. This evaluation is relevant not only for other groups of organisms in the southern hemisphere but also in northern latitudes, where human impacts are greater.
The assessment involved an expert evaluation and literature review of all 18 penguin species, with contributions from 49 scientists. We considered each species' range and distribution, population trends, and the primary human-driven threats they have experienced over the past two and a half centuries - approximately 250 years. These threats included hunting adults for oil, skin, feathers, and bait for crab and rock lobster fisheries, as well as harvesting eggs. Terrestrial habitat degradation, marine pollution, fisheries bycatch and resource competition, environmental variability and climate change, toxic algal poisoning, and disease were also identified as threats.
Of these threats, habitat loss, pollution, and fishing are the most significant and can be readily addressed by humans. To ensure the future resilience of penguin species against climate change impacts, it is crucial to tackle the current threats that contribute to habitat degradation both on land and at sea. Our suggestion is to protect breeding habitats and establish appropriately scaled marine reserves, including in the High Seas, which will play a critical role in penguin conservation. However, creating large conservation zones may not always be feasible due to practical or political constraints. In such cases, other ecosystem-based management approaches, like spatial zoning, bycatch mitigation, and effective harvest control, should be developed to preserve marine biodiversity and maintain ecosystem functioning across various scales.
See also
- Penguin Portal
- Penguin news
- Penguin videos
- Penguin research
- Penguins - Animal Hub
- Penguins - Newshound