Summary

Norway has a proud coastal tradition, and the sea has always been an integrated part of our culture and identity. For generations, it has been a lifeline for rural communities and businesses. Seabirds are inseparably linked to their maritime environment, and they play an important role in a diverse, resilient and robust ecosystem.

Norway is a seabird nation of significance, with 54 species that appear along the mainland coast, on Jan Mayen, and around Svalbard. Their populations number in the tens of millions of individuals, and Norway has an international responsibility to maintain viable populations.

Seabirds serves as important indicators of the health of our marine ecosystems, but many populations are in sharp decline. The number of Norwegian seabirds has decreased by 80 percent from 1970 to 2020, and almost half of the species are now listed as threatened on the Norwegian Red List of Species. This decline is part of a global trend where seabirds are among the most threatened bird groups.

As a result of extensive mapping, monitoring, and research, our knowledge of seabirds is relatively good. Climate change is the most significant factor influencing seabirds, but the causal relationships are complex and often linked to indirect causes in their food chain. Other important factors include reduced food availability, fisheries, bycatch, natural predators, invasive species, habitat impact, and pollution. Often, climate change works as an exacerbating factor, enhancing the effect of other factors.

The goal is to reduce the negative impacts on seabirds by 2035.

To achieve this goal, this action plan promotes measures within four strategic areas:

• mitigation measures in the practice of marine industries
• international cooperation
• increased knowledge about causes
• reduced human-caused mortality of seabirds

Because many seabirds reach sexual maturity at a late stage in their lifecycle and produce few offspring, the effects on seabird populations, of measures that are implemented today, will occur later. To achieve the goal of the action plan, measures must be implemented now.

There is a need for more knowledge on how to consider consequences for seabirds in the management of marine resources. The government will therefore establish a working group consisting of seabird experts, marine scientists, and climate researchers.

The Government will also focus on documenting the impact of kelp harvesting on seabirds and the ecosystem. The implementation of regulations of kelp harvesting will be evaluated. The government is also presenting several measures specifically aimed at the aquaculture industry.

The Government will also implement measures to reduce the extent of bycatch of seabirds.

The Government further aims to assess how efforts in international cooperation can be better targeted and/or strengthened. Among other things, by increasing international cooperation on highly pathogenic avian influenza, both to better understand the development of the disease and, if possible, to prevent and limit the damage caused by the virus.

The Government will also assess and consider possible regulations of access for the sake of seabirds. This includes considering changes in access restrictions in priority seabird reserves along the Norwegian coast. Seabirds will also be included in an assessment of a new measure under the Nature Diversity Act to regulate access to defined areas, both time-limited and lasting.

The most important contributions to achieving the goal for seabirds will nevertheless be measures that lead to reduced climate change and marine ecosystems in good condition. The action plan will supplement relevant measures in Norway’s Climate Action Plan, Management plans for marine areas, and the National biodiversity strategy and action plan.