UK Breeding Seabird Population Changes 1986–2024
Summary
JNCC published official statistics on UK breeding seabird population changes from 1986-2024 as part of the Seabird Monitoring Programme. The report presents abundance change and productivity figures for Britain and Ireland's breeding seabirds with country-level breakdowns. The data feeds into UK Biodiversity Indicators and supports international obligations under the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement.
What changed
JNCC published results from the Seabird Monitoring Programme covering 38 years of data on UK breeding seabirds from 1986-2024. The statistics show population abundance changes and productivity figures with breakdowns by country where available. The data is used to inform biodiversity indicators and conservation assessments.
Environmental organizations, government agencies, and conservation groups tracking UK wildlife trends should note these statistics are used in Birds of Conservation Concern publications and help meet international environmental obligations. The report does not create compliance requirements but provides baseline data for conservation policy and biodiversity monitoring.
What to do next
- Monitor for updates on seabird population trends
- Review biodiversity indicator implications
Archived snapshot
Apr 16, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Official Statistics
Seabird population changes in the UK: 1986–2024
Results of the Seabird Monitoring Programme, showing population changes for UK breeding seabirds.
From: Joint Nature Conservation Committee Published 19 March 2026 Get emails about this page
Documents
Seabird population changes in the UK: 1986–2024
https://jncc.gov.uk/our-work/official-statistics-on-seabird-breeding-population-changes/
Details
The Seabird Monitoring Programme (SMP) has collected data on Britain and Ireland’s breeding seabirds since 1986. It is a partnership jointly funded by JNCC and BTO, in association with the RSPB.
SMP data are used to produce the UK abundance change and productivity figures presented in this report, with additional country level breakdowns where possible. The statistics feed directly into several biodiversity indicators (e.g. the UK Biodiversity Indicators and country level indicators), are used in many publications, including Birds of Conservation Concern, and help the UK meet its international obligations (e.g. under the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement).
Updates to this page
Published 19 March 2026
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