 The Peruvian pelican is listed as Near Threatened because , although the population is estimated by BirdLife International to exceed 500 @,@ 000 mature individuals , and is possibly increasing , it has been much higher in the past . It declined dramatically during the 1998 El Niño event and could experience similar declines in the future . Conservation needs include regular monitoring throughout the range to determine population trends , particularly after El Niño years ; restricting human access to important breeding colonies ; and assessing interactions with fisheries . 
