We are witnessing a biodiversity crisis, where species must attempt to cope with and survive under human induced environmental changes. These changes span from climate change to the introduction of invasive species. I have been lucky enough to be involved in two conservation projects so far.
During my undergraduate years until the first years of my PhD I was involved in a Life project on Linosa island to monitor the Scopoli’s shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) population while controlling for Black rat (Rattus rattus) and House mouse (Mus musculus) traces (involving trapping and baiting). This experience drove my interest in find new, less invasive, ways of monitoring threatened seabird populations. In 2020 I started to monitor Scopoli’s shearwaters with a combination of passive acoustic recording and radar tracking (with the support and collaboration of Ornis italica). I hope to share these results soon.
Recently, I have been part of the acoustic monitoring and GPS tracking of one of the rarest and threatened seabird species, the Bermuda petrel or Cahow (Pterodroma cahow). This species was thought to be extinct in the 17th century and was then rediscovered in the 1950s. In a collaborative effort with researchers from Portugal, Canada, and Bermuda, we aim to assess whether we can predict colony presence and abundance through passive acoustic recording, and test if this could be a valid method to a) assess increasing/decreasing of breeding pairs in the main colonies through the years, and b) discover new pairs in suitable but uncolonized islets. In addition, we aim to expand our knowledge about this understudied species, especially about its behaviour at sea. This is fundamental for future conservation management of off-shore areas.
Furthermore, I am interested in the potential of citizen science data (i.e. eBird) as a powerful resource for research, conservation, and education. I truly believe that everyone can contribute to help us better understand the natural world by reporting what they witness. Of course this can be a double-edged sword: without basic knowledge of species identification and ecology, the data reported can be counterproductive. In this sense my interest is to use validated data to understand population dynamics in time and space.
Selected related publications:
Becciu P, Patterson A, Gjerdrum C, Madeiros J & Campioni L (2024) Fine-scale movement data of the endangered Bermuda petrel highlights surface foraging and greater nocturnal flight activity. bioRxiv.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.08.593164
Campioni L, Madeiros J & Becciu P (2023) Citizen science data reveal possible multi-decadal phenological changes in the arrival time of a migratory tropical seabird species at the breeding ground. Marine Biology 170: 124.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-023-04268-3
Cianchetti Benedetti M*, Becciu P*, Massa B and Dell’Omo G (2018) Conflicts between touristic recreational activities and breeding shearwaters: Short-term effect of artificial light and sound on chick weight. European Journal of Wildlife Research 64: 19. (*equally contributed)
DOI: 10.1007/s10344-018-1178-x
Fayet AL and Becciu P (2018) Easternmost record of an Atlantic puffin Fratercula arctica in the Mediterranean Sea on the coast of Israel. Seabird 31: 84-87.
Link: http://www.seabirdgroup.org.uk/seabird-31-84 (Open Access)
PAOLO BECCIU 