The latest pollution incident off the south coast of England is taking its toll on marine wildlife. The RSPCA is now treating over 300 birds (mainly guillemots) while at least as many dead birds have also been washed ashore. It's too early to say what the final numbers will be but it is generally accepted that 3-10 times as many birds die at sea than are washed ashore in incidents like these, so the impact is likely to be fairly large.
While the cause remains unknown it does bring back memories of the disastrous oil spills of the past: MSC Napoli, MV Sea Empress and MV Braer all spring to mind. The short term hit that species take in these incidents can be dramatic but thankfully many populations are able to recover. But they need the space and time to do so.
Chris Packham reminded me of the incredible powers of recovery that some birds can make to disasters (natural or otherwise). In one of his episodes of Winterwatch, he looked back to 1963 when half of the UK's birds apparently died in the "Big Freeze". Amazingly, most bird populations recovered within five years. It just shows that if the conditions are right, nature can work its magic.
But as any ecologist knows, the ability of a species to withstand the pressures that are thrown at it are limited. Those with already reduced populations can be particularly vulnerable to freak events. Which brings the nature conservation challenge into sharp focus.
First we need to ensure that there is sufficient space for populations to feed and breed. Which is why, on land, we need bigger, better protected and more joined up landscapes. And why, at sea, we need that comprehensive network of protected areas that we have been promised for so long.
Second, we need to do what we can reduce the pressures on an already beleaguered natural world. That means minimising pollution incidents, tackling non-native invasive species, preventing habitat destruction, stopping overexploitation and doing what we can to tackle climate change.
This is as important for moths (which were last week reported by Butterfly Conservation to be suffering a 40-year crash) as for seabirds off the south coast.
With best wishes to the teams involved in the clean up.
The powers of recovery of so many birds are indeed spectacular - but the we are hitting them from so many directions at once and when you stop and think that every year species like Guillemot are having to haul themselves back from us first removing their food, then killing them with oil - how long can the colonies featured in Birds having to fly so much further for food survive ? It is amazing enough that a bird like a Guillemot lives in icy winter seas with just its coat of feathers and the food it must catch each and every day to survive, without any respite, no warm fire to retreat to if things go wrong.