Biosecurity is the practice of protecting places from the threats to wildlife posed by introducing new diseases or types of plants or animals that do not naturally occur there. Seabirds often choose to nest on islands with no land predators and are particularly vulnerable to introduction of predators.
At Biosecurity for LIFE we are working hard to raise awareness of the threat of invasive predators and put in place systems to prevent their accidental introduction to islands.
In particular we will be focusing our efforts on 42 specially protected islands that are designated for breeding seabirds.
Help us to prevent the introduction of invasive species
Ground nesting seabirds and their chicks are at danger from invasive species
You can take responsibility for your own biosecurity by following these important steps before visiting your island destination:
The Isles of Scilly, 26 miles of the tip of Cornwall have five inhabited islands (St. Mary’s, St Agnes and Gugh, St. Martins, Tresco and Bryher) with a population of 2,000 mainly living on St. Mary’s. Scilly is home to 13 breeding species of seabirds including puffins.
Over 65%...
Seabirds are arriving back to our cliffs and islands, the focus of our blog this week is #Skokholm, #Skomer and #Middleholm famous for their #puffins and #Manx shearwater.https://t.co/51qpH9f4uP
— biosecurityforlife (@biosecurityLIFE) April 14, 2020
Photo: Tara Proud pic.twitter.com/CQ4qidTp4V
At Biosecurity for LIFE we are focused primarily on 42 island special protection areas (SPAs) in the UK that are designated for breeding seabirds.
As indicated on the map, these islands are spread around the coastline of the UK including parts of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.