Important Bird Areas The Falkland Islands

摘要

The Falkland Islands are a UK Overseas Territory, some 12,700 km from the United Kingdom. The largest archipelago in the South Atlantic, with more than 700 islands, the Falklands contain 22 Important Bird Areas, reflecting mostly seabird congregations of global importance. The islands hold 61 breeding bird species and some 227 species have been recorded in total, including vagrants from South America, migratory wintering birds from the Arctic, and numerous non-breeding Antarctic and subantarctic seabirds, which are seasonal in the surrounding waters. Nine breeding species are of global conservation concern. The Falklands hold about 70% of the world population of Black-browed Albatrosses, of which nearly a quarter of a million pairs breed on just one island. There are five breeding species of penguin, including the largest population of Gentoo Penguins and the second-largest population of Southern Rockhopper Penguins in the world. There are two endemic species, Falkland Steamer Duck and Cobb's Wren, and the islands represent the global stronghold of the Ruddy-headed Goose and Striated Caracara. The introduction of seabird-protection measures in the islands' fishery has significantly improved the outlook for seabirds, but the relatively recent discovery of a viable oilfield heralds a new era for the Falklands, where environmental considerations including risks to the huge seabird populations will need to be carefully and responsibly managed.