Fight for our future

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This month saw the start of the global Fridays For Future climate strikes. Young people all over the world are standing up in support of the changes required to mitigate climate change. Even though we are marooned on the island following a spell of stormy weather, the Skomer team are voicing our support for #FridaysForFuture and the global #ClimateStrikes.

Puffin on Skomer Photo: Sarah Parmor

Puffling (puffin chick)Photo:Viv Hastie

Climate change is already having a devastating effect on wildlife. 


Although Skomer’s puffins are doing well, puffin numbers in more northerly colonies have plummeted. Climate change and the warming sea temperatures are affecting where sandeels (puffin food) can thrive. In the breeding colonies of Shetland, Norway and Iceland, parent puffins are having to travel further away from the colony to find food for their chicks. For several years, some of these colonies are fledging no, or few chicks. This is not sustainable. If nothing changes puffins will be on a path to extinction.

Fulmar on nest site Photo: Sarah Parmor

The waters around Skomer have not yet warmed (due to ocean currents) so our puffins are doing ok for now. It is likely that we will eventually see a rise in sea temperatures though, and then the same fate awaits our birds. Not all of Skomer’s seabirds are doing well: kittiwakes in particular are declining here, as they are globally. It is frustrating that no matter how safe we make their breeding habitat on the island we cannot affect the foraging conditions these birds must contend with to successfully rear chicks.

Kittiwakes are struggling to rear chicks. Photo: Alice Cousens

There are other effects of climate change that are of concern. For example, extreme weather events are becoming more common and severe. In the winter of 2013-2014 extreme storms in puffin overwintering areas in Southern Europe killed thousands of birds. Given that our puffin breeding numbers have remained stable these were either birds from other breeding colonies, or young Skomer birds who are not yet breeders. If the latter, then we may see a drop in our breeding population over the next few years. Time will tell.

Skomer's puffins holding on... but for how long? Photo: Renate Thome

Guillemot chick Photo: Sarah Parmor

Razorbil chick Photo: Alexa Piggot

Seabirds are generally long lived birds and these little chicks have a hard fight ahead of them to survive. Climate change will not only affect wildlife but every one of us directly. From the weather we experience, to the water we drink and food we need to survive. What is clear is that climate change is an urgent problem and we must continue to urge governments to act accordingly
Young people need us to act now, to minimise harm and chaos in the future. 

Issy Key & Sarah Parmor
(Skomer LTV and Visitor Officer)