A new review published on 27 October 2025 in Nature Reviews Biodiversity, introduces and elevates the concept of the circular seabird economy — the interconnected flows of nutrients, ecology and human well-being linking the ocean, island ecosystems, and back to nearshore waters.
Authored by an international team led by Holly P. Jones, the paper argues that seabirds act as pivotal conduits in cross-ecosystem subsidy cycles: they draw nutrients from the ocean and redistribute them to land via guano and carcasses, which in turn support terrestrial and nearshore productivity, and ultimately feed back into marine systems.
The authors note that nearly one-third of seabird species are threatened, making their decline not only a biodiversity loss but a destabiliser of the circular economy they underpin. Nature Traditional research has focused on seabirds’ effects on islands, but this review broadens the lens — showing how their nutrient transfers influence coastal food webs, coral reefs, mangroves, and even local fisheries.
Among the review’s key messages is that conserving or restoring seabird populations offers a high-leverage pathway for amplifying ecological benefits across ecosystems. But critical knowledge gaps remain: how these nutrient cycles vary across spatial scales, island sizes, seasons, and anthropogenic pressures.
Importantly, the authors call for greater integration of Indigenous and local knowledge in monitoring and management — recognizing that many coastal communities rely on seabirds culturally, nutritionally, and economically.
This paper reframes seabirds not merely as icons of island conservation, but as integrators of land and sea. As global biodiversity and climate crises intensify, understanding and rebuilding the circular seabird economy may be a key strategy for sustaining resilient ocean-island systems for people and nature alike.
