**Abstract:**

With increasing threats to seabirds from multiple anthropogenic impacts, there is a compelling need for local communities to support and engage in efforts to conserve many seabird populations. To engage communities meaningfully, their awareness and perceptions of species of conservation concern and conservation activities need to be understood. Réunion Island, Indian Ocean, is home to a diverse seabird community, including two endemic species of petrels, the Critically Endangered Mascarene petrel (Pseudobulweria aterrima) and the Endangered Barau's petrel (Pterodroma baraui). In this study, we assessed public knowledge of and attitudes towards the two endangered petrels and community-focused seabird conservation activities. We used two social surveys, one focused on recognition of Réunion seabirds and the long-term seabird rescue campaign on the island and the second on "Nuits Sans Lumiere," an annual month-long event to raise awareness of light impacts on seabirds. Ability to correctly identify species, endemic status and threats varied by species, with Barau's Petrel the best understood of the six focal species. In contrast, survey respondents were not as aware of the Critically Endangered Mascarene Petrel. Survey results indicate that impacts of light pollution on procellarid seabirds were generally well understood but that participation in the seabird rescue campaign is not widespread. Knowledge of and participation in "Nuits Sans Lumiere" varied by city, with Cilaos, the city closest to petrel breeding colonies, being the most engaged. The event was perceived as beneficial for the petrels and for reducing energy usage. These results will help guide future community outreach and policy-making efforts. Keywords : Sociological survey, Procellariidae, Rescue Campaigns, Nuits Sans Lumière, social representation.

**Authors:**

Marion Manoro¹, Peter Hodum², Marie Thiann-Bo Morel¹, Matthieu LE CORRE¹, Patrick Pinet³

¹University of Réunion Island, ²Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge, ³Reunion National Park

Sociological analysis of seabirds rescue campaigns at Réunion Island

**Session Replay:** [Click here](https://zoom.us/rec/share/uU38KFxYki-pE7PDbuptiKKqdhY-6AeYsMtC8VCIduNY7nYHXDt14lPSdXGoYrrt.JzqvlCNaNpWuAswo?startTime=1633529733000)<br><br>

<i>**Session Chair: **Reyd Smith</i><br><br> 
<i>**Technical Session Chair: **Kirsty Franklin </i><br><br> 


Conservation II

technical paper

Welcome Seabirders!  

Welcome to Virtual World Seabird Conference 3 - vWSC3! Whether you are in your office or lab, at home, in a coffee shop or bar poaching some wifi, or at a remote field site or research vessel – we are very excited to welcome you to the third ever World Seabird Conference. 

We would like to thank ALL of you for being so patient as WSC3 was scheduled, postponed, rescheduled, revised to virtual, and scheduled again. Throughout all those iterations there was one message that remained perfectly clear – seabirders were eager to meet and share their science. If we could not meet in person then virtual it would have to be, but a 3rd WSC was something everyone wanted. That support and commitment helped the WSU Board of Directors and Member Societies sort through all of the challenges they faced to plan and hold this conference. 

The list of those that need to be thanked is long and, while we plan on recognizing many during the live closing plenary, it is important to do so here in writing as well. 

The Australasian Seabird Group was our Local Host for our plan to meet in Hobart, Tasmania. They invested substantial time and effort to find venues and plan events that we unfortunately were not able to visit. Nonetheless we appreciate their work on behalf of WSC3 and encourage all of you to thank them when you see their members in Gathertown or elsewhere during our virtual meeting. Their willingness to host created the initial excitement for WSC3 and without that our vWSC would not have been possible.

We also wish to thank the Science Program Committee, the Virtual Committee, and the Early Career Scientist Committee for their hard work planning the logistics, events, and schedule for vWSC3. These committees also had to deal with changing parameters and short timelines that made what is always a challenging task even more challenging. The Travel Awards Committee also invested time and effort in developing procedures for awarding travel funds that ultimately would not be implemented. 

Our ability to shift from an in-person to a virtual meeting, and to do so in a way that would be financially feasible, was due to the effective efforts of The International Fundraising Committee and to our financial sponsors. The IFC raised funds to support WSC3 and then, through the good relationships they built with sponsors, ensured we could re-envision how those funds could be used to support a virtual conference that would be affordable and high-quality.

We all owe the WSU Board of Directors and the Representatives of the Member Societies a great deal of thanks. They are the ones who manage the WSU and, for the past 18 months, have had to have a series of challenging meetings and conversations, have had to make a series of difficult choices, have had to do all of that while considering the short- and long-term health of WSU and the World Seabird Conferences, and did this while also managing their own challenges at their day jobs. We are grateful for their diligence, patience, foresight, and throughout all of the meetings, their collegiality. Also – a 6-year term is quite a commitment!

There would not be a WSC3 without a successful WSC1 and WSC2. Thanks go to the Pacific Seabird Group for their support of WSC1 in Victoria, Canada, and to the African Seabird Group for their support of WSC2 in Cape Town, South Africa. In each of these endeavors and for our current conference we were fortunate to work with a dependable and trustworthy partner in Podium Conferences. Michelle Smith and Marischal de Armond have become valued members of our team and have not only helped us plan conferences but have assisted and advised the WSU Chairs and Board on issues above and beyond conference planning. 

As we embark on our vWSC3 week we extend to all of you our thanks for showing up, for being patient, and most importantly for the work you do with seabirds. We are all part of a unique, global community that shares an interest, a fascination, and a passion for birds that make a living in our world’s oceans. We have advanced the science, conservation, and management of seabirds as well the ecosystems they inhabit. We are consistently impressed and motivated by the work you do. 

The WSU formed in 2010 because we saw the need for a global organization to address challenges at a global level. Over the past 11 years WSU has grown, adapted, and evolved to become the community that this week is making vWSC3 a reality. Enjoy the week, appreciate and support the friends and colleagues you have made in the community, and if you see us in a virtual hallway please stop and say hello! 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve all of you and the WSU over the past few years,

Nicholas Carlile, Interim Chair, WSU<br>
Patrick Jodice, 2nd Chair of the WSU<br><br>

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3rd World Seabird Conference

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