Partners
EPIC, Lista Light, and regional island partners

Project Dates
February 2009 - July 2010

Project Location
Lesser Antilles

Project Description
Land and water based surveys for all breeding seabirds and invasive predators were conducted in those areas for which insufficient data has been collected. Over two years, one survey in winter and one in spring/summer were conducted to account for varied breeding seasons. Local media, technical training, and presentations were used to raise awareness of seabird and marine conservation issues. Local partnerships are an essential component to the success of this program. A hard copy of the completed Atlas was provided to participating island governments and non-profit agencies as well as regional bodies.

The book Seabird Breeding Atlas of the Lesser Antilles can be purchased through CreateSpace as well as through Amazon and Kindle. Purchases through CreateSpace and Kindle return a greater percentage of royalties back to EPIC to help cover costs incurred during field work and publication. The Atlas data is available online at regional and global databases: OBIS-SEAMAP, WICBIRDS, and BirdLife's Data Zone.

Project Importance
By systematically documenting the breeding seabirds of the rapidly developing Lesser Antilles, EPIC created the first comprehensive regional perspective on seabird populations using a consistent methodology during a discrete time period. Seabird atlases have proven to be effective tools for management around the world. From Australia to Europe to North America, these documents provide a unique view of a region and a framework for integration of future studies. A complete Atlas of the Lesser Antilles is essential for an effective regional preservation programs and the Caribbean Waterbirds Conservation Plan, which will be drafted by the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB).The next phase of the project will be to address conservation issues identified for priority sites.

Visit our partner Lista Light's website.

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Partners
EPIC and BirdLife International

Project Location/Species

St. Maarten, St. Martin, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, and Nevis. Project Description: As part of a global initiative, Birdlife International contracted EPIC to identify potential Important Bird Areas (IBAs) for St. Kitts, Nevis, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten/Martin. EPIC's Seabird Breeding Atlas of the Lesser Antilles and other data sources will continue to provide updated information to inform current and future IBAs.

Project Importance

EPIC identified multiple IBAs in the Lesser Antilles which raised awareness of the importance of specific locations for regionally and globally important populations of birds. IBA status can be used to leverage support for conservation efforts and mitigate losses for species. Species identified with the IBAs include Laughing Gulls (St. Maarten), Caribbean Coots (St. Maarten), Red-billed Tropicbirds (Saba, St. Eustatius, and St. Martin), Least Terns (St. Kitts), Brown Pelican (St. Maarten), Royal Tern (St. Maarten), Scaly-breasted Thrasher (St. Martin and St. Eustatius), and Bridled-quail Dove (St. Martin, St. Eustatius, and St. Kitts).

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Partners
EPIC, Anguilla National Trust, Anguilla Ministry of the Environment, St. Martin Nature Reserve, Sint Maarten Nature Foundation, Saba Conservation Effort, St. Eustatius National Park, St. Kitts Department of Environment, Nevis Department of Environment, and Dominica Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. Project Dates: December 2000 - Present. Long-term project. Current Project Location: Anguilla, Dog Island, Prickly Pear, Anguillita, Scrub Island, St. Martin, Tintamarre, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Booby Island, Nevis, and Dominica. Project Description: Census seabird colonies. Monitor nesting success. Chick provisioning studies. Record predation and disturbance events. Focus Species: Red-footed Booby, Brown Booby, Masked Booby, Magnificent Frigatebird, White-tailed Tropicbird, Red-billed Tropicbird, Caribbean Brown Pelican, Audubon's Shearwater, Laughing Gull, Royal Tern, Least Tern, Common Tern, Roseate Tern, Sooty Tern, Bridled Tern, and Brown Noddy. Project Importance: Increase awareness of local breeding biology for Caribbean seabird species. Identify threats (development, predation) to seabird species. Work with local governmental and non-governmental organizations to create partnerships that will work together in the future to conserve the Caribbean seabird breeding community. EPIC has posted our data on Lesser Antillean seabird colonies to the OBIS online database: http://seamap.env.duke.edu/datasets/detail/418

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