P-04-579 Reinstate Funding for Skomer Island's Guillimot monitoring – Correspondence from the Petitioner to the Clerking Team, 09.02.15

Dear Kayleigh,

My response is as follows:

Firstly may I say that we are very disappointed with this response. 
Whilst guillemots on Skomer are indeed increasing in number, they remain the best barometer of the quality of the marine environment around the island, chiefly because they can be monitored more accurately than any other seabird on Skomer. To say that the JNCC’s continued monitoring of the guillemot population is in any way reassuring is missing the crucial point, as highlighted by Professor Birkhead in his 2011 report to the Trust and JNCC, which showed that the data collected under JNCC contract is flawed and has produced erroneous results. I am assured he would not have fought so strongly against the funding cut if he were confident the JNCC’s monitoring was sufficient.

As I have said, we at the Ornithological Society and Professor Birkhead himself are very disappointed by this response. All we are asking is that the Assembly, and Natural Resources Wales, understand that only a thorough study of the guillemot population such as that carried out by Professor Birkhead and his team all these years is sufficient to gain any meaningful understanding of the guillemot population and the precious marine environment of which they are a key indicator.

I do hope you will reconsider.

Yours sincerely,

Jamie Kingscott-Edmunds
Cardiff University Ornithological Society