Southern Giant Petrels breeding within the Antarctic Treaty Area: a call for information

The Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels has recently developed a database to assist with on-going conservation efforts for species listed under the Agreement.  Some aspects of this database are accessible to the general public via this web site (click on the Data Portal Quick Link on the home page).

Currently, Parties to ACAP provide population data for these species breeding on an annual basis via the ACAP Advisory Committee's Status and Trends Working Group.

The Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus is the only ACAP-listed species that breeds outside national jurisdictions, on and around the Antarctic Continent.  ACAP wishes to reach researchers (including but not restricted to those involved through the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and its Expert Group on Birds and Marine Mammals (SCAR-EGBAMM) that monitor Southern Giant Petrels Macronectes giganteus in the Antarctic Treaty Area - the Antarctic Continent and associated islands south of 60°S) but have had no connection as yet with ACAP through a Party, and ask that they consider making their monitoring data available.

To clarify how ACAP would use any submitted data please consult the "Rules for access and use of status and trends, and breeding sites data submitted to, and maintained by ACAP" as adopted at the last ACAP Advisory Committee meeting in 2010 (see Annex 3 in AC 5 Doc 11 Rev 3).

If you are able to assist (or know of someone else who could help), or have any questions regarding ACAP's work, contact Wiesława Misiak, ACAP Science Officer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., who will also supply a pro-forma spread sheet for capturing data.

Click here to access the ACAP Species Assessment for the Southern Giant Petrel and here to access a list of management plans and visitor site guidelines for Antarctic colonies of Southern Giant Petrels.

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 4 June 2011

The Agreement on the
Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels

ACAP is a multilateral agreement which seeks to conserve listed albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters by coordinating international activity to mitigate known threats to their populations.

About ACAP

ACAP Secretariat

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Hobart TAS 7000
Australia

Email: secretariat@acap.aq
Tel: +61 3 6165 6674