SOS Puffin – Scotland

This outstanding project was selected for this substantial award not only because of its professionalism and achievements both nationally and internationally, but also for its impressive track record of inspiring and engaging young people of all ages and abilities.

The Scottish Seabird Centre is a community-based, independent charity committed to raising the awareness, appreciation and care of the natural environment. The award-winning wildlife visitor attraction opened in May 2000 and attracts over 290,000 visitors every year, as well as over 600,000 ‘virtual’ visits to its website.

Recognised as a world leader in remote wildlife viewing, visitors to the centre in North Berwick experience a unique ‘beak to nose’ encounter with wildlife with no negative impact on the animals in any way. The centre is an outstanding example of sustainable tourism and has re-established the community as a tourist location, providing the local economy with in excess of £2 million of income every year.

The centre is supported by over 50 volunteers and it was thanks to one of the volunteers, Maggie Sheddan, that the plight of the puffins was detected when she noticed that there were fewer puffins to be seen on the islands of Fidra and Craigleith just off North Berwick. The puffin community had, in fact, declined from 28,000 pairs in 1999 to just a few thousand by 2006.

The vital funding that was sought from Viridor Credits will help to systematically remove an invasive and alien plant, tree mallow, which has taken over the island of Craigleith and prevented the puffins from nesting. Four cameras have also been installed, including two infra red, puffin burrow cameras, enabling observers in the Seabird Centre and researchers to monitor the puffins’ progress.

The second element for which the funding will be used is to install a solar powered, state of the art remote camera, overlooking the kittiwake colony at Dunbar Harbour. The colony has been suffering from human and animal disturbance, including vandalism. The camera will help to deter future disturbance and permit monitoring and research of the colony.

A new community engagement scheme, ‘SOS KittiwakeWatch’ together with on site interpretation and live transmission from the Seabird Centre and online via the centre’s website, will help the appreciation and conservation of this precious and vulnerable kittiwake colony.

The final stage is the creation and delivery of an education and community programme to encourage people, in particular the local youth groups and schools to get involved, with over 150 local volunteers signing up to help on the project. Local nursery, primary and secondary schools in East Lothian have all been involved in the project and with the help of teachers locally a new interactive floor game has been created for younger children called “Where have all the puffins gone?”

A further project, comprising a new pilot scheme to create junior tour guides which involves working with local schools to build children’s confidence and presentation skills and training them to be tour guides, has focused on SOS Puffin and has been featured on several television programmes.

The project which was launched in 2007 will continue for five years, after which it is hoped that there will be a legacy of puffins breeding on the island again, thanks to Viridor Credits support.