Under the overall goal of the APP4SEA Project to improve oil spill response preparedness in the Northern Periphery and Arctic region, one sub-goal focused on the protection of marine birds from oil spills.
Due to their ecology, some seabird species are more likely to be affected by oil than others. By taking into account their behavior and life history characteristics, it is possible to estimate each species' vulnerability to oil. This method was used in APP4SEA to create an index for the sensitivity of seabirds to oil – Oil Vulnerability Index (OVI). To estimate where seabirds are most vulnerable to oil pollution in the event of an oil incident, the species-specific OVI values were combined with each species Birdlife International distribution map. Eventually, the combined data was input to the interactive smart map, also developed in the APP4SEA. The smart map is available at www.app4sea.com, and you may explore the Seabird Oil Vulnerability Maps under the Ecological zones Map Layer.
- Download the APP4SEA report Seabirds and oil – The risk of oil spills to marine bird species in the northeast Atlantic, here, and...
- Join our webinar Oil spills & Wildlife Protection on May 18! Neil James from the Environmental Research Institute, North Highland College UHI, will introduce both the Oil Vulnerability Index and Seabird Oil Vulnerability Maps. Read more about the webinar and register here!