Excerpt from oceanographicmagazine.com
New light has been cast on one of nature’s most elegant feedback loops as scientists throw the spotlight on the role of seabirds as powerful connectors between ocean and land.
In a groundbreaking global synthesis published today in Nature Reviews Biodiversity, researchers from Lancaster University have revealed how these marine wanderers shuttle nutrients across ecosystems and why protecting them could be a game-changer in tackling the triple planetary crises of climate change, ocean decline, and biodiversity loss.
Led by Dr Holly Jones of Northern Illinois University, the research team – featuring scientists and conservation leaders from BirdLife International, The Nature Conservancy, Lancaster University, and Island Conservation – has introduced the concept of the ‘circular seabird economy’ – a natural process by which seabirds move nutrients from sea to land and back again, driving productivity and ecological resilience across entire landscapes.