Publish a Scottish Seabird Conservation Strategy which will identify actions to support species recovery and increase the resilience of seabird populations.
Objective 4: Protect and support the recovery of vulnerable and important species and habitats
Priority Action 22. Manage existing and emerging pressures to improve the conservation status of seabirds, marine mammals and elasmobranchs.
The Scottish Government published the Scottish Seabird Conservation Action Plan on 13 August 2025, setting out actions to address pressures on seabird populations including fisheries interactions, invasive non-native species, climate change, and disturbance.
The plan identifies priority species and key threats, and outlines actions such as improving monitoring, reducing bycatch, managing invasive species on islands, and strengthening evidence to support conservation decisions. It provides a coordinated national framework for seabird conservation, although delivery depends on implementation across multiple partners and policy areas.
The published action plan identifies well-evidenced pressures on Scottish seabirds, including food availability, bycatch, invasive species, and climate impacts, and sets out targeted actions to address these pressures at national scale.
Scottish seabird populations are in long-term decline, as shown in national indicators and State of Nature reporting, which underpins the need for coordinated conservation action. However, ecological outcomes depend on implementation and enforcement of the plan’s measures, including fisheries management changes and invasive species control. As the plan has only recently been published, there is not yet evidence of population recovery or measurable improvements in seabird status.
Scottish Government – Scottish Seabird Conservation Action Plan (2025)
NatureScot – Scottish Biodiversity Indicator – The numbers and breeding success of seabirds (1986 to 2023)
State of Nature Report – Scotland 2023
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