Seabird Working Group Activities
The Seabird Working Group has been actively working in the Caribbean region since 1999 to build capacity for seabird conservation and research. Past and recent activities have included regional training workshops, dedicated seabird symposia at conferences, the creation of online tools and databases, and BC fundraising for targeted projects (please see our Seabird Resources for some of the related outputs of these activities).
Current Activities
Networking
Directory: To strengthen our network and capacity for information sharing, we are currently updating our database of seabird practitioners in the Caribbean. We are therefore interested in hearing from anyone that works, or has worked, on seabirds in the region. Please consider completing our short survey to tell us more about your past, present and future involvement with seabirds.
In-Person Meetings: We meet every two years at BirdsCaribbean international conferences.
Our most recent in-person meeting was at the AOS-BC International Conference, San Juan, Puerto Rico, June 27-1 July 2022. At this meeting the Seabird Working Group organized a seabird symposium that included 14 presentations given throughout the day, July 1. Additionally, the group – with members representing Puerto Rico, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat, the French Antilles, the Grenadines, Bonaire, Curaçao, and Mexico – was able to use gaps in the conference schedule to discuss its push for a region-wide Seabird Census in 2023. See Full Notes
Communications
Annual Newsletter: We facilitate information sharing within our network through an annual report.
Social Media Feeds:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Linkedin
Videos series on YouTube:
Seabird Topics
Census Webinars
Regional Census
The Seabird Working Group is targeting 2023 for a coordinated, regional seabird population census. You can find out more on our Regional Seabird Census page and by reading our blog post about the census.
Future Activities
- Assimilating new and existing data from seabird population surveys throughout the Caribbean, in order to create a centralized population database that can be shared amongst practitioners
- Identifying new streams of funding to target for future collaborative seabird conservation work in the region
- Continue to organize and disseminate seabird-related resources (see here) for seabird conservationists and practitioners in the region
If you are interested in getting involved in any of these future activities then please contact our Working Group Committee.