Basic scientific research at the population, species and ecosystem level is critical to conservation of the species. Current research on Pink-footed Shearwaters focuses on basic ecology and assessments of factors potentially affecting populations. The Juan Fernández Islands Conservancy (JFIC) has been conducting conservation-based research in the Juan Fernández Islands, Chile since 2002, with the following research objectives:

1. Population biology
   • monitoring of population sizes and distribution at the breeding colonies
   • at-sea surveys to determine population abundance and distribution
2. Breeding biology and behavior
• timing of breeding
• burrow occupancy
• reproductive success (hatching and fledging success)
3. Foraging ecology
• foraging habitat characteristics and locations (using satellite transmitters)
• diet
4. Migratory behavior - satellite tracking
• migration from Chile breeding colonies
• wintering hotspots off North America
5. Impacts of non-native mammals
• predation by feral cats, coatimundis and rats
• competition with European rabbits for burrows
• breeding habitat alteration by grazing mammals (rabbits, cattle, goats)

Publications
• NGS project report 2004 (PDF 185kb)
• 2004 season report-final (Wordpad doc.)
• 2003 Report (PDF 133kb)
• CONAF Report 2002 (Wordpad doc.)

Dr. Peter Hodum using a burrow camera to document egg and chick survival without harming the fragile nesting site.

CEC
Since 2006, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has played an important role in supporting conservation research on the species. Based on priorities identified in the CEC North American Conservation Action Plan (NACAP), the following three objectives have been addressed:

• Study of the migration from breeding colonies in the Juan Fernández Islands (Chile) to CEC waters in North America
• Mapping of the distribution and abundance during the post-breeding dispersal in CEC waters
• Capacity building to train local researchers in Mexico and South America to develop a comprehensive picture of the species' at-sea distribution and trends in abundance.

As part of the CEC NACAP, efforts are underway to assemble a working group of experts in the ecology and the conservation of this species, to assess the at-sea distribution of the species and its overlap with potential threats, including gillnet fisheries and tanker shipping lanes.