1818) "Endangered National Wildlife", Faroe Islands: EUROPA - 2021: Postverk Foroya or Posta (Faroe Islands Post) has issued a set of two Stamps featuring critically Endangered National Wildlife of the Faroe Islands - The Puffin (17.00 DKK & 27.00 DKK): Date of Stamp set issue: 26.04.2021:
About Europa 2021 - Stamps:
EUROPA Stamps are special stamps issued by European postal administrations.
They bear the official EUROPA logo, a PostEurop registered trademark under the aegis of PostEurop in which Europe is the central theme.
EUROPA stamp issues are among the most collected and most popular stamps in the world and have been issued for over 60 years.
Every year a new theme is assigned by PostEurop and all participating countries issue stamps with their own interpretation of the theme. The theme for 2021 is "Endangered National Wildlife".
More about EUROPA Postage Stamps:
EUROPA Postage stamps (also known as Europa - CEPT - European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations - until 1992) are special stamps issued by European Postal Administrations/Enterprises and bears the official EUROPA logo, a PostEurop registered trademark under the aegis of PostEurop in which Europe is the central theme.
EUROPA stamps underline cooperation in the posts domain, aimed at promotion of philately. They also build awareness of the common roots, culture and history of Europe and its common goals.
As such, EUROPA stamp issues are among the most collected and most popular stamps in the world.
Since the first issue in 1956, EUROPA stamps have been a tangible symbol of Europe's desire for closer integration and co-operation.
In 1993, PostEurop became responsible for issuing EUROPA stamps.
When CEPT decided to focus more on telecommunications in 1993, PostEurop took over the management of the Europa issues. The CEPT logo was replaced by a new logo created by PostEurop i.e. the word "EUROPA" leaning towards the right hand side.
Each year, PostEurop's "Stamps & Philately Group" selects the EUROPA stamp theme:
1993 - Contemporary Art
1994 - Great Discoveries
1995 - Peace and Freedom
1996 - Famous women
1997 - Tales and legends
1998 - Festivals and National Celebrations
1999 - Nature Reserves and Parks
2000 - Common Design. Tower of 6 stars
2001 - Water - Treasure of Nature
2002 - The Circus
2003 - Poster Art
2004 - Holidays
2005 - Gastronomy
2006 - Integration through the eyes of Young People
2007 - Scout Centenary
2008 - Writing Letters
2009 - Astronomy
2010 - Children Books
2011 - Forests - International Year of Forests
2012 - Visit …. (for instance "Visit Finland" etc.)
2013 - Van of the Postman - Postal vehicles
2014 - Musical instruments - National musical instruments
2015 - Old Toys
2016 - Ecology in Europe - "Think Green". Common Design
2017 - Castles
2018 - Bridges
2019 - National Birds
2020 - Ancient Postal Routes
2021 - Endangered National Wildlife
2022 - the theme will be "Stories & Myths".
About Europa 2021 - "Endangered National Wildlife Stamps issued by Postverk Foroya or Posta (Faroe Islands Post):
This year’s PostEurop stamp theme is ‘Endangered National Wildlife’, and Postverk Foroya (Faroe Islands Post) has depicted the Puffin which are critically endangered.
These beautiful stamps feature species that are locally registered from "Critically Endangered" through to "Near Threatened".
The Stamps:
The Puffin – an Endangered Red List Species in the Faroe Islands:
The EUROPA Stamps of 17.00KR and 27.00KR depicting the Faroese Puffin.
The Puffin with its large colourful beak and orange legs is an iconic bird of the Faroe Islands. Everyone travelling to the Faroe Islands in summer expects to be able to see it in large numbers, but many will be disappointed, for the stock has declined substantially in the last many decades.
In 2017, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) added the Puffin to the Red List of Endangered Bird Species.
The decline in the Faroese Puffin population began as early as 1768. At that time a Norwegian ship sailing from Trondheim to Ireland wrecked on the Scottish island of Lewis. The wreck subsequently drifted to Hvalba on Suðuroy. The wreck was crawling with the Brown Rat ("Rattus norvegicus"), considered as the most damaging and successful invasive species on the planet.
As early as 1769, another unknown ship, had brought rats to Thorshavn on Streymoy, spreading quickly to the two large neighbouring islands of Vágar and Eysturoy.
During the construction of a Norwegian whaling station around the year 1900, the rat invaded the three north-eastern islands of Borðoy, Viðoy and Kunoy and, presently, rats are found on 7 of the 18 islands that make up the Faroe Islands.
The Brown Rat has completely eradicated ground-breeding birds such as the Atlantic Puffin ("Fratercula arctica grabae"), the Manx Shearwater ("Puffinus puffinus") and the Storm Petrel ("Hydrobates pelagicus") on the seven largest islands. The rat is able to kill even the adult birds, which means that for them eggs and chicks are an easily accessible food.
The Puffin has been an important food source for the Faroese population. In addition to its value as food, its feathers could be sold and exported in earlier times, making them one of the few items that could provide the islanders with ready money.
Most Puffins were caught with a pole-net, which is a triangular net on an approx. 3 meters long wooden pole. But until 1942, a number of breeding birds were also taken out of their nesting holes and killed, while others were shot.
No one really knows how large the Faroese breeding population is today. Although pole-nets used in the Puffin colonies most often catch young and non-breeding birds, intensive catch has probably decimated the stock over the years.
In the late 1930s, about 350,000 puffins were caught annually.
The Puffin, which lays only one egg, has experienced another major challenge in the last 25 years, namely a lack of food for the young. The small fat Sand Lance, or Sand Eel ("Ammodytes dubius") is the Puffin’s main food source. Sand eel is not fished off the Faroe Islands, so fishing is not the reason for its absence.
No one knows for certain how it all fits together, but higher sea temperatures and lack of plankton are probably the most obvious cause.
When the Puffin does not lay eggs, or the young die, old Puffins will fly in circles over the colonies and be captured which makes the whole situation even worse. Around the year 2000, 100,000 puffins were caught annually, and a large part of them were old breeding birds, thus contributing to the decline of the Faroese puffin population which is now close to a complete collapse.
The capture of puffins is not the main reason why there is only a fraction left of the original puffin population compared to 300 years ago, but it is alarming that, even in 2021, the Puffin is still not completely protected in the Faroe Islands.
It seems that Climate Change has a major impact on Sand Eel, which is the Puffin’s main food source. Other Faroese bird species such as the Manx Shearwater, the Arctic Tern ("Sterna and Paradisaea") and the Kittiwake ("Rissa tridactyla") are also completely dependent on the sand eel.
Today, it is estimated that there may be 200,000 pairs of Puffins left in the Faroe Islands.
The Puffin becomes relatively old which means that there will still be some puffins around for a number of years to come, even if the population continues to decline. The oldest known puffin became 41 years old.
A First Day Cover (FDC) shows at left a Puffin. At top right are affixed the two EUROPA stamps issued in the set cancelled with a special cancellation Stamp showing an effigy of a Puffin facing left. The Cancellation is of Torshavn Post Office and the Cancellation is dated - "26.04.2021".
A First Day Cover (FDC) Collectible.
Two First Day Covers (FDCs) bearing single stamps of the two variants issued in the set.
Full Sheets of 32 Stamps of the two Variants of 17KR and 27KR.
Post Cards.
Technical details:
Issue Date: 26.04.2021
Illustrator: Thomas Vikre & Jógvan Hansen.
Printer: Cartor Security Printing, France
Process: Offset
Size: 30.0 mm x 40.0 mm
Stamp Values: 17.00 & 27.00 DKK
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