GBRMPA:

"Between 1.4 and 1.7 million seabirds from at least 20 species breed on islands and cays in the Great Barrier Reef each year, representing more than 25 per cent of Australia's tropical seabird breeding population. At least 79 islands and cays have been identified as seabird rookeries with 56 of these considered to be key sites. These sites are concentrated in the northern and southern regions of the Great Barrier Reef where islands with suitable nesting habitats are more common (Figure 1).

Long-term monitoring programs have been on-going at four of the most significant seabird rookery areas on the Great Barrier Reef and significant declines of several species have been observed. These declines are thought to be associated with a range of pressures including weather related phenomena (storms, cyclones and El Niño events), climate change, reduced food availability and increased human activity."

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Citation and/or URL

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, 2006, State of the Great Barrier Reef Report: birds

Spatial Coverage

 Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

Temporal Coverage

 Information current as of May 2006

Update Frequency

 Not applicable 

Other Information

 None