A. Species
Scientific name: Megadyptes antipodes
Common name(s): Yellow-eyed Penguin
Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Endangered
B. Location of use
Geographic location(s):
- Kermadec Is.
Country/Region: New Zealand
C. Scale of assessment
Scale of assessment: Individual Site
Name/Details of location: Enderby Island/ Auckland Islands group
D. Timescale of use
Start Year: 2016
End Year: 2017
E. Information about the use
How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Type of use: Non-Extractive
Practice of use:
Lethal or non-lethal:
Does this use involve take/extraction of:
Purpose(s) of end use: Learning and education and Recreation
Motivation of use: Recreational and Population/Area Management
Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law
F. Information about the Users
Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: National external and International external
G. Information about the sustainability of use
Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: Actually, authors implied opinion indicates that use is not sustainable under current conditions but may be sustainable if regulations were stricter. However, if "No, sustainability not determined" was ticked, database would not allow adding of any details
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: Classified as ‘Endangered’ by IUCN and the New Zealand Department of Conservation (BirdLife International 2017), the population is estimated at less than 2,000 breeding pairs, with 60% of the population thought to occur in the subantarctic. Studies on mainland Yellow-eyed Penguins have shown it is one of the most sensitive penguin species to human disturbance. The presence of tourists decreases the likelihood an adult will come ashore to their nest, increases transit times to and from the nest and increases the likelihood of nest abandonment. This delay increases the amount of food digested before regurgitation, resulting in less food available for the chicks. Tourism is strictly controlled at the study site with a no-stopping zone. On Enderby Island, tourists approached to a median minimum distance of 27 m, where the probability of disturbance is 0.65, and 39% of tourists approached to a minimum distance of < 21 m, where the probability of disturbance is > 0.87. At the current minimum approach distance (5 m), the probability of disturbance is 0.99. These disturbance probabilities imply that a new minimum approach guideline is warranted. Due to the small size of the area (the length of penguin alley is approximately 70 m), reducing the probability of disturbance to near-zero (a distance of c. 50 m) may be impractical, but our results can help managers to decide on and justify a distance that is acceptable. At 40 m for example, the probability of disturbance is still low (0.15) so this distance may be an acceptable compromise between minimising disturbance and practical limitations.
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: ecotourism an important income source also to fund conservation measures. Although currently deemed ecologically unsustainable, authors implied opinion indicates that use is not sustainable under current conditions but may be sustainable if regulations were stricter. However, if "No, sustainability not determined" was ticked, database would not allow adding of any details
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded
Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered unsustainable
Details of assessment carried out: this study
Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: NB: Authors implied opinion indicates that use is not sustainable under current conditions but may be sustainable if regulations were stricter. However, if "No, sustainability not determined" was ticked, database would not allow adding of any details
Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species
Authors state: "the negative impact of human presence shown in this study indicates the importance of minimising the number of human-penguin interactions. This can be done by keeping the total number of tourists visiting the island to low levels, regulating the timing of tour boats landing and departing to avoid peak penguin activity, and limiting the number of tourists ashore at one time. In addition, regulations such as a suitable minimum approach distance are important for reducing the disturbance during a penguin-human interaction. Minimum approach guideline needs to be revised if the probability of disturbance is to be reduced", where any guidelines should be based on and validated through scientific research
Record source
Information about the record source: scientific_pub
Date of publication/issue/production: 2019-01-01T00:00:00+0000
Source Reference(s):
Date of record entry: 2023-01-05