The most comprehensive census of seabirds in the UK and Ireland has found half our species have declined in the past 20 years.

The Seabirds Count, led by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) with over 20 partners including the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), provides population estimates for species that regularly breed on our shores.

The latest census, which took place between 2015 and 2021, showed that 11 of the 21 seabird species where there is confidence in their trends have declined since the previous census in 1998-2002. Five species have remained stable and five have increased.

See the UKCEH website for the full story.