South Georgia Island Giant Petrel Census and Sea Kayaking Expedition—
“Using adventure skills to conduct meaningful conservation science”

Dr. Bob Powell
Clemson University
Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
281 Lehotsky Hall
Clemson, SC 29631
864-656-0787
rbp@clemson.edu

In 2005 Clemson University assistant professor Dr. Bob Powell and Leiv Poncet became only the third group to circumnavigate South Georgia Island (Antarctica) by sea kayak, a feat many consider the equivalent of climbing Mt. Everest, while conducting conservation research.

From November 12, 2005 to January 5th 2006, Clemson University assistant professor Dr. Bob Powell joined an international team of researchers on an expedition to South Georgia Island. The purpose of this Antarctic expedition was to conduct a population count, or census, and map the breeding sites of two of South Georgia Island’s endangered seabird species—the Northern and Southern Giant Petrel.  Currently Giant Petrels are thought to be threatened by commercial fishing activities, invasive species, and potentially tourism visitation and the study sought to produce a baseline population count.  Sounds simple enough until one considers that South Georgia Island is located 1200 miles South East of Cape Horn and 800 miles from Antarctica in the Southern Ocean and that much of South Georgia’s coastline, which is the nesting habitat for Giant Petrels, is extremely mountainous and exposed to the open Southern Ocean’s swell and winds.

        In fact South Georgia Island is a land of extremes. Powerful storms buffet this seemingly inhospitable and isolated outpost, yet the island hosts one of the highest concentrations of marine life in the world. South Georgia’s peaks rise out of the turbulent Southern Ocean over a mile and a half. The island’s ice cap extends its fingers into the many fjords, and glacial fronts drop thousands of tons of ice bergs into the stormy water. Conducting research in this extreme and isolated environment proved both physically and logistically challenging.

To complete the census, members of our expedition systematically walked over all vegetated habitat and identified and counted all apparently occupied nests (AOC). (A nest was considered occupied if an egg or chick was present.) This required many field hours in all types of weather covering steep, rugged terrain that often was also populated by aggressive seals. In addition a Global Positioning System (GPS) waypoint for each nest was recorded as well as several immediate environmental factors such as the surrounding vegetation community and an erosion ranking.

To overcome the logistical challenges, the research team utilized a unique strategy. First a research vessel was chartered for the two month expedition to sail the team from the Falkland Islands 800 miles to South Georgia Island and to provide transportation around the island and a base with which to conduct the research. In order to census as much of the coastline as possible, two separate census teams were formed; one which was vessel based and another field team which camped on the island and used sea kayaks to traverse the rugged coast.

            The kayak field team, which was made up of Leiv Poncet, expert sea kayaker and researcher, and myself, incorporated the concepts of exploration, adventure, and discovery, and utilized the simplest of craft to navigate the inaccessible, isolated and rugged coast of South Georgia Island. Meeting the yacht every three to ten days, the field team kayaked and camped for seven weeks. We would move our camp when weather permitted and when we had completed our census of an area; this meant we enjoyed some stunning days on the water generally in fairly calm conditions. On two occasions we paddled 60 miles—long days in the boat but this allowed us to move to another suitable camping and census spot. Over the course of the seven weeks Leiv and I circumnavigated the island by sea kayak in our efforts to census as much of the birds’ habitat as possible.  We completed our kayaking efforts on Christmas Eve and joined the full team for the remainder of the expedition.

In the first season of this two year project, the full science team surveyed over two thirds of the Giant Petrel’s habitat on the island and we counted and mapped over 5000 active nesting pairs of Giant Petrels. In the future I will be collaborating with team scientists to explore the potential role that environmental factors, such as invasive species, breeding site competition, and vegetation community, influence nesting site density and selection. In addition, we will identify any locations where nesting birds and tourism visitation overlap and develop a strategy for mitigating nest disturbance. Park and protected area managers will also use the results of the project to plan the management of breeding areas that are impacted by invasive species. Finally, the results of the study will establish a baseline for future long-term demographic studies as well as inform future research and management priorities for effective conservation of each species.

However, what may prove to be the most important contribution and legacy of this expedition is the educational and adventure component of the project. Several expedition members including Dame Ellen MacArthur (world famous English sailor) are producing films, writing articles, and developing web sites pertaining to the threats, such as the impacts of the fishing industry, faced by the world’s Albatross and Giant Petrel populations. There are fishing practices and new technological equipment that can reduce and even eliminate the inadvertent killing of these magnificent pelagic sea birds, but some fishing fleets are slow to adopt these changes. The past has shown that huge shifts in public attitudes through educational and documentary efforts can have dramatic and immediate positive impacts on industry practices and on world politics. Scientific research and management activities alone cannot conserve our valuable natural resources and I believe that educational efforts are now vital aspects of scientific inquiry, park management, and biodiversity conservation efforts.

            When reflecting on my involvement in the project and the circumnavi- gation of South Georgia Island by sea kayak, thought of by many as the sea kayaking equivalent of climbing Mt. Everest, I believe that facing the immense forces of the world’s roughest seas was a bold and challenging endeavor, but conducting research that protects the beauty, mystery and energy of this primitive land was the measure of our success. In a land that seems to defy the rest of the world in its ruggedness and isolation, the effect of man’s activity on South Georgia and its wildlife is undeniable and only further reinforces humankind’s responsibility to the web of life. No place, no wilderness, no matter how isolated is exempt from the effects of our activities, but with proper management we may ensure the future preservation of the fauna of South Georgia and its premier wilderness for future generations.

 Dr. Bob Powell completed a PHD from Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 2005 and is now an Assistant Professor in the Park, Recreation, and Tourism Management Department at Clemson University specializing in international park and protected area management and biodiversity conservation. Finally Bob is a former member of the US Canoe and Kayak Team and has conducted research or led paddling expeditions to Antarctica and to over 40 countries around the world.  

“We had pierced the veneer of outside things.  We had suffered, starved, and triumphed, groveled down yet grasped at glory, grown bigger in the bigness of the whole. We had seen God in his splendors, heard the text that Nature renders. We had reached the naked soul of man.”  

South, the Endurance Expedition, Sir Earnest Shackleton

 “Using adventure skills to conduct meaningful conservation science”

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 Dr. Bob Powell
Clemson University
Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
281 Lehotsky Hall
Clemson, SC 29631
864-656-0787
rbp@clemson.edu