The study develops a large-scale avian sensitivity assessment for offshore wind-energy planning, integrating species vulnerability to collision and displacement with spatial information on bird distributions and conservation importance. The resulting sensitivity maps are intended to support strategic siting of offshore wind development while identifying areas where impacts on vulnerable bird populations should be avoided or carefully mitigated.

Tracking data from more than 13,000 individuals representing 44 seabird species were used to map important areas across the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas throughout the year. High Seas areas were found to be as important as national waters but less protected. Existing Atlantic MPAs encompass under 14% of tracked species density, while strategic expansion to 30% of the ocean could protect up to two thirds of this density.

A new subspecies of Cape Verde Storm Petrel, previously considered endemic to the Cape Verde Islands, is described from São Tomé Island in the Gulf of Guinea. The paper documents the taxonomic evidence supporting recognition of the São Tomé population and expands the known geographic and evolutionary diversity of \Hydrobates jabejabe\.

HPAIV H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b was detected in three Tristan skuas on remote Gough Island. By combining viral genomic analyses with year-round tracking, the authors evaluated possible incursion routes. Although movement patterns suggested southern Africa as a likely pathway, the Gough strain was more closely related to virus detected in South Georgia, indicating infection may have occurred during pre-laying movements. The study stresses continued surveillance and biosecurity for remote seabird populations.

Seamounts can concentrate biological productivity and marine megafauna, but the mechanisms determining which seamounts become hotspots remain poorly resolved. Using Cabo Verde and the Azores as case studies, the article outlines how tracking, environmental, fisheries and physical seamount data can be integrated to identify drivers of attraction and inform marine conservation. It proposes six research priorities for linking seamount hydrodynamics with predator distributions.

The study evaluates land-based threats affecting Atlantic pelagic seabirds during breeding, combining expert knowledge and a literature review across 49 species and 38 Large Marine Ecosystems. It identifies invasive alien species, disease, light pollution and other pressures, and highlights priority regions where targeted management could generate the largest conservation gains, especially Tristan da Cunha, Gough Island and islands of the Canary Current.

Plastic ingestion was assessed in 529 Cory’s and Scopoli’s shearwaters collected across the north-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. Birds from Mediterranean sites generally contained more plastic, and fledglings carried higher loads than older birds. The authors argue that ingested plastic mass is a more ecologically meaningful monitoring metric than particle counts and propose mass-based threshold values for regional pollution assessment.

Developing robust strategies for human–wildlife coexistence is hampered by our limited understanding of how humans impact animal space use. It is challenging to measure the relative effects of landscape modification and human mobility on wildlife, since these factors are typically confounded. The extreme change in human mobility levels that occurred during COVID-19 lockdowns provided an opportunity to disentangle these impacts. Many gull species are considered urban adapters, capable of roosting, foraging and breeding near humans in highly modified environments. We predicted that lockdown-induced changes in human mobility would affect gulls’ selection for urban and beach habitats because of altered disturbance levels and food availability. We analysed GPS tracking data from 113 individual gulls over multiple years (2015–2022), across three species in western Europe (herring gull Larus argentatus, lesser black-backed gull L. fuscus and yellow-legged gull L. michahellis). We found that, during lockdowns, selection for urban areas increased in two of ten colonies and selection for beaches increased in one colony and decreased in two others. This heterogeneous pattern likely reflects differences in how gull populations respond to opportunities and challenges presented by human-modified landscapes. Understanding this context dependence is emerging as a priority for coordinated efforts to promote sustainable human–wildlife coexistence.

The deep-sea areas of the Cabo Verde Archipelago remain largely unexplored, with seamounts standing out as the most prominent and abundant geomorphological features. The ecological significance of these underwater structures is welldocumented in various regions of the planet, as they often serve as biodiversity hotspots, stepping stones for species connectivity and, in some cases, areas with high levels of endemism. However, the biology and ecology of the seamounts around Cabo Verde are still largely unknown. Preliminary studies of the geomorphology, oceanographic characteristics and ecology of specific features suggest that the Cabo Verde seamount network — comprising 14 known conspicuous seamounts as well as smaller elevations less than 1000 m — harbours high biological diversity. That biodiversity associated with the Cabo Verde seamounts spans a wide range of forms, from microscopic organisms to cetaceans, encompassing both pelagic and benthic communities. Commercial activities associated with seamounts, in particular fishing, are a critical aspect to consider for ecosystem management. Evaluating their current uses, future prospects, and the existing and potential threats the Cabo Verde seamounts face is essential for effective and sustainable marine spatial planning. This study reviews and synthesises the current knowledge on the Cabo Verde seamounts within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), focusing on their environmental and biological aspects, including geology, oceanography, and associated biological communities. Key topics include primary production, zooplankton communities, benthic organisms, large vertebrates such as elasmobranchs, marine turtles, cetaceans, and seabirds, as well as microbes and trophic linkages. Additionally, this review explores the socio-economic dimensions linked to seamounts, highlighting their importance to the local economy and emphasizing the need for effective marine spatial management plans. These considerations are crucial for balancing conservation efforts with sustainable use, ensuring the long-term health of these vital underwater ecosystems.

Fisheries have been recognised as a significant global threat to seabird populations through overfishing and bycatch. Yet, seabird–fishing interactions remain understudied in West African waters despite rich seabird biodiversity and intensive fishing activity occurring in the region. Using high-resolution tracking data of seabirds and fishing and nonfishing vessels, we investigated the dynamics of interactions between nine seabird species and industrial fisheries in Northwest African waters. We also assessed the underlying factors (seabird breeding status; fishing vessel density, gear type, length and operational status; and environmental features) influencing seabird–fishing interactions. Furthermore, we pinpointed the relevant political stakeholders in such seabird–fishing interactions by identifying the type of fisheries, vessel nation flags and maritime zones involved. We found that, for each species, more than 70% of individuals encountered vessels within 30 km, with most of these encounters involving nonfishing vessels. However, Cape Verde shearwaters (Calonectris edwardsii), to a lesser extent, Cory's shearwaters (Calonectris borealis) and Audouin's gulls (Ichthyaetus audouinii) frequently approached fishing vessels within 1.5 km, exhibiting clear attending behaviour. Specifically, 66% of Cape Verde shearwaters, 27% of Cory's shearwaters and 50% of Audouin's gulls showed this close-range association with fishing vessels. The probability of a seabird attending a fishing vessel was influenced by specific vessel features and environmental conditions (i.e. large vessels near the coast). Furthermore, we identified a range of flags within national waters, showing that nearly 20% of the interactions involved foreign-flagged fishing vessels from Europe, Africa, Asia and Central America. Policy implications. This study provides guidance for seabird conservation by identifying high-risk bycatch species and priority fishing fleets where mitigation should be targeted. It also demonstrates the potential of environmental variables to predict seabird–fishing interactions and underscores the political responsibilities essential for effective management in Northwest African waters.