Declaration of the 12th International Penguin Conference
Phillip Island / Milawul, Australia, September 15, 2026.
Penguins live on the front line of environmental change.
From the icy seas of Antarctica to the temperate and tropical coasts of Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and South America, penguins depend on healthy oceans for their survival. As the oceans change, the consequences are reflected in where penguins find food, when they breed, how successfully they raise their chicks, and ultimately, whether their populations are growing or shrinking.
Scientists and conservationists gathered at the 12th International Penguin Conference on Phillip Island / Milawul are documenting profound—and in some places rapid—changes in the world of penguins. The warning signs are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Penguins are facing an increasing combination of pressures. Climate change is altering ocean temperatures, currents, prey availability, and sea ice. At the same time, marine heatwaves, extreme weather events, fishing, disease, pollution, and disturbances can place additional stress on populations that are already struggling to adapt.
These stressors affect penguins in different ways. Some species and populations are declining rapidly. Others are changing their foraging areas, breeding seasons, or the way they use their habitat. Some remain stable, and still others may temporarily benefit from changing local conditions. Penguins have adapted to environmental changes over the course of evolution, but their ability to adapt is not unlimited.
African Penguins: A Clear Warning. The population of African penguins (African spectacled penguins) has declined dramatically, as changing ocean conditions, reduced food resources, and competition from fishing are increasingly threatening their survival. Without effective conservation measures—especially a shift to ecosystem-based fisheries management—one of Africa’s best-known seabirds faces, at best, an uncertain future and, at worst, extinction. The additional pressure on their food resources caused by the current outbreak of the sardine herpesvirus (PHV) makes it all the more urgent to better protect the food resources of these top predators.
Antarctica: Ice-dependent Species Under Pressure. Emperor penguins rely on stable sea ice to breed and raise their chicks. This makes them particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in the Antarctic environment. Adélie and chinstrap penguins (sometimes also called bearded or ringed penguins) are also responding to significant environmental changes in various parts of this continent. In these areas, less stable ice and changing patterns of snow and other precipitation are leading to frequent breeding failures and population declines.
The Galápagos Islands: Extreme Fluctuations. At the other end of the global penguin range, Galápagos penguins live in a naturally highly variable marine environment. There, warming can dramatically reduce the availability of the type of food on which Galápagos penguins depend.
South America: Humboldt Penguin Populations Are Declining Sharply. Scientific teams from Peru and Chile report population declines of between 60% and 80% at various locations. This points to a particularly alarming situation for the conservation of Humboldt penguins in both countries, caused by the impacts of fishing, climate change, and avian influenza.
Extreme events can alter these habitats at an astonishing rate. A marine heatwave can disrupt food webs. Extreme precipitation, heat, or snowfall can lead to widespread breeding failures. Premature loss of sea ice can destroy breeding habitats before chicks are able to survive on their own. When such events occur repeatedly—or are compounded by fishing, disease, pollution, or habitat disturbances—populations have little opportunity to recover before the next disturbance strikes.
It is not a single event that gives cause for the greatest concern, but rather the direction and accelerating pace of change documented across many penguin habitats.
Penguins are particularly telling indicators of the state of the oceans because they bridge two worlds. We can count and study them when they come ashore, but much of what determines their survival happens far beyond our view, out at sea.
When prey disappears, the oceans warm, sea ice retreats, or extreme events become more intense, the consequences eventually return to the coast with the penguins—or sometimes with the penguins that do not return.
Long-term scientific observations allow us to recognize these warning signs. Satellites can locate colonies in remote regions of Antarctica. Tracking devices show where penguins migrate and where they feed. New technologies allow us to understand their underwater world, while decades of population monitoring help us distinguish natural fluctuations from fundamental environmental changes.
Penguins cannot tell us in words that their world is changing. They show it to us.
However, their message is not that the future is predetermined.
Science also shows where action can make a difference. While climate change requires global solutions, reducing other stressors can help penguin populations become more resilient in a changing environment. Sustainable fishing, the protection of critical feeding and breeding areas, disease prevention, the reduction of disturbances, effective predator management, and long-term monitoring can strengthen the resilience of endangered populations.
Protecting penguins, therefore, means far more than just protecting their colonies on land. It means protecting the marine ecosystems on which they depend and responding to warning signs before populations reach a critical point.
This is not just a story about penguins. The oceans on which they depend regulate our climate, produce food, support economies, and sustain communities around the world.
When penguins are struggling, we should take notice. Their warning concerns the health of our oceans and, ultimately, the health of our planet.
Our Call to Action
Scientists and conservationists gathered at the 12th International Penguin Conference are calling for urgent and decisive action. The window of opportunity for action is closing, and the penguins are telling us exactly where we need to start:
- Reduce emissions faster. The world is not on track to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal, and every fraction of a degree counts for the oceans on which penguins depend.
- Strengthen effective ecosystem-based approaches to protect the prey on which penguins and other marine predators depend. This is the most urgent measure to prevent the extinction of the African penguin.
- Maintain long-term research and monitoring. Thanks to decades of data on population trends, we can distinguish between natural fluctuations and a system in crisis. This science must be protected and expanded, not cut back.
- Strengthen international cooperation. Penguins cross borders, oceans, disciplines, and jurisdictions. Their protection requires coordinated action among nations, scientists, and conservation organizations.
- Take measures to prevent disease. Emerging threats such as the sardine herpesvirus and avian influenza are exacerbating the existing pressure on penguin populations and their prey. Therefore, a rapid, coordinated response to disease outbreaks must become a priority for species conservation.
- If avian influenza reaches a colony, long-term monitoring must continue and must not be discontinued. These programs are more important than ever for understanding the impacts and guiding effective conservation measures.
Protect critical habitats now, before populations reach a tipping point
- Foraging and breeding areas must be protected today, not only after the next population collapse.
Penguins can’t wait for the world to act at its own pace. Their populations show us in real time that the ocean is changing faster than they—and we—would like. The time to protect them and the marine ecosystems on which we all depend is now.
Declaration of the 12th International Penguin Conference (August 31–September 4, 2026) and the IUCN Penguin Specialist Group
translated by Angelika Veelken using/reviewing deepl.com
