Penguins could be boosted thanks to creation of Antarctic parks

Breeding penguins could be helped by creation of new marine parks
An Adelie penguin looks after its egg on a nesting site on the Antarctic Peninsula Credit: Heather Lynch/Stony Brook University

Breeding Antarctic penguins could be helped by creating special parks, according to new research.

Scientists at the University of East Anglia, Birdlife International in Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey, also based in Cambridge, found that a proposed network of marine protected areas (MPAs) could safeguard some of the most important areas at sea for the flightless birds.

The findings, published on Penguin Awareness Day, suggest that, if all the MPAs proposed around Antarctica were adopted, the permanent conservation of high-quality areas for penguins would increase by between 49% and 100% depending on the species.

The Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica is home to thousands of unique species, including seals, whales and four species of penguins - the Adelie, Chinstrap, Gentoo and Emperor.

The MPA network - pink are proposed new areas, green already exisit Credit: Birdlife International

Many of these creatures feed on krill, tiny shrimp-like crustaceans, but these are also the target of large commercial fisheries, who harvest them for a variety of krill-based products including fish food.

Emperor penguins in Antarctica Credit: PA Images

Researchers say penguins are often considered an indicator species whose populations reflect the state of the surrounding marine environment.

Lead author Dr Jonathan Handley, of Birdlife International, said the findings provided evidence about the location of some of the most important areas for breeding penguins.

The study, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, used a new approach based on colony location, population estimates, and tracking data, to identify globally important areas for penguin species around Antarctica, pinpointing 63 key sites.

Known as Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs), they are used by at least 1% of a species' global population. These areas represent important foraging grounds, surrounding breeding colonies of several thousands of individuals when penguins congregate to raise their chicks.

The researchers also examined krill fishery activities over the last 50 years. They found that while its range of operation has contracted, a consistently disproportionate amount of krill is being harvested within the globally important areas for penguins compared to the total area in which the fishery operates.

The experts say the results align with other studies which show that krill fisheries might be directly competing with penguins for crucial foraging resources.

Researchers identified new IBAs that are important for the conservation of Antarctic penguins and examined the overlap with existing and proposed MPAs. They found that Adelie and Emperor penguins currently have 27-31% of the important areas within adopted MPAs, but no Gentoos' IBAs and only 1% of Chinstraps' are within them.

If all proposed MPAs for Antarctica are adopted then an average of 80% of the important areas for penguin conservation would be within an MPA, researchers say.

Co-author Dr Aldina Franco, of UEA's school of environmental sciences, said: