September 21, 2026 — September 27, 2026
Helping seabirds—and making room for uncertainty
One new addition explores what experts think conservation measures might change for North Sea seabirds, and how sure they are.
When we ask how to help wildlife, a single number can sound reassuring. A range can be more honest. This week we added a small set of tables that lets you see uncertainty alongside the estimates—not hidden in a footnote.
01 / NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre
What might give a seabird colony a better chance?
UK North Sea breeding populations · March 2023 · expert estimates in two CSV tables
Researchers brought six experts together online to consider possible conservation measures for protected seabird populations, in the context of offshore-wind compensation. They recorded estimates of changes to survival and breeding success, then fitted distributions to describe the uncertainty. One expert's incomplete numerical responses were left out of the final fitting.
Why it's worth exploring
Instead of ranking measures by one headline number, ask where estimates overlap and where they spread apart. That can be a useful starting point for a conversation with a conservation researcher. These tables describe informed judgements, not observed changes in bird numbers or proof that a measure works. Read the accompanying guide before decoding the scenarios.
North Sea Seabird Conservation Expert EstimatesThis is new to our library, not a study carried out this week: the discussion took place in 2023, the files were published on September 17, 2026, and the UK national catalog listed them on September 22. Our search also covered live transport feeds and other fields; no new live source passed all admission checks this week. Some promising candidates remain on hold while we check access or the precise licence.
These reports cover additions to our library, not necessarily newly published data. Check the dataset notes and official sources for coverage dates, licensing, and limits on use.