Friday, 19 June 2026
By Dr Yuna Kim, Seabird Project Coordinator BirdLife Australia
On 19 June 2026, we mark the seventh annual World Albatross Day, with the theme ‘Habitat Restoration’.
Albatrosses are among the most wide-ranging birds on Earth, travelling thousands of kilometres across the open ocean in search of food. Yet, despite their mastery of the high seas, their survival ultimately depends on a much smaller part of the world: their breeding islands.
Populations of albatrosses are under immense pressure around the world. Most species are in decline, facing an array of threats, both at sea and on land. Longline and trawl fisheries continue to pose a major risk, accidentally catching and drowning birds on hooks and in nets. Simultaneously, their breeding colonies are heavily impacted by invasive species, habitat degradation and the accelerating effects of climate change.
In Australian waters, Lord Howe and Macquarie Islands were both witnessing the collapse of local breeding populations of seabirds, but the causes were quite different. This meant that to address these declines, groundbreaking habitat restoration efforts were required, but to match the different ecological problems being faced by seabirds on the two islands, the approach for each was quite different.
On Lord Howe Island, introduced rats and mice preyed heavily on eggs, chicks, and seabirds, including shearwaters and petrels, as well as native land birds. The priority there was a highly complex rodent eradication program, executed on an inhabited island, which required tightly managed safeguards, both for the safety of the local community and non-target wildlife.
The program succeeded, and in the absence of rodents, Lord Howe Island has seen dramatic improvements in vegetation and populations of invertebrates, and vastly improved breeding success among burrowing petrels.
Meanwhile, on Macquarie Island the challenge had escalated beyond rats and mice, and included rabbits, which stripped vegetation, destabilising slopes and severely damaging the nesting habitats of albatrosses and burrowing seabirds. Today, Macquarie Island’s restoration centres on long-term recovery. After the pest eradication program—which spanned roughly ten years—the vegetation is rebounding and seabird habitats are gradually returning to their natural state.
Further afield, beyond Australia’s jurisdiction, formal planning for mouse eradication on Marion Island began in 2021, with bait trials undertaken last year, with further trials scheduled for 2027. Keith Springer is the Operations Manager of the Marion Island habitat restoration project for BirdLife South Africa.
“Every island presents a unique restoration challenge,” said Keith Springer.
“Even where the goal is identical—safer breeding habitat for seabirds—the threats, ecological responses and management options can vary wildly.”
“Because each conservation action must be tailored to the specific species present and the condition of the ecosystem, the planning phase alone can take years,” Keith said.
In island conservation, ‘restoration’ primarily means removing invasive threats to allow nature to heal. On islands like Macquarie and Lord Howe, large-scale pest eradication programs have already demonstrated transformative gains—once predators are removed, populations of seabirds bounce back remarkably quickly. While this work is complex, long-term and demands sustained financial investment and strong partnerships, the rewards are definitive: safer breeding sites, significantly higher survival rates for chicks, and the recovery of entire island ecosystems.
Because albatrosses cross geopolitical boundaries daily—linking countries, cultures and oceans through their incredible journeys—their conservation is inherently international, meaning that international partnerships between governments, research institutions and non-profits are critically important. Such collaboration allows researchers and conservationists to share vital knowledge, coordinate global efforts and scale up solutions across entire oceanic regions.
Albatrosses are far more than just iconic ocean wanderers—they are vital indicators of the overall health of the world’s oceans. Their behaviour and population trends reflect deep-seated changes in marine ecosystems and the direct impacts of human activity. By protecting them, we inherently protect broader marine biodiversity and maintain the delicate balance of our oceans.
For many, they also inspire a profound connection to the natural world—serving as timeless symbols of freedom, endurance and the sheer vastness of the wild oceans they inhabit.
Encouragingly, targeted conservation initiatives are delivering real results. Large-scale habitat restoration projects, improved bycatch mitigation measures in commercial fisheries and major advances in tracking wildlife are all helping to turn the tide.
However, the work is far from over. Expanding these successful efforts, closing existing gaps in international policy and securing long-term funding remain essential to ensuring a lasting impact.
Each year, World Albatross Day is a vital reminder of both the challenges we face and the progress we’ve achieved. By continuing to invest in science, on-ground action and global collaboration, we can give albatrosses the future they deserve.
Dr Yuna Kim, Seabird Project Coordinator, BirdLife Australia
Join us for the 2026 BirdLife Australia Seabird Webinar Series and hear directly from Keith Springer and Dr Yuna Kim about the work underway to save seabirds. Learn more and register here.
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