Following a long campaign which spanned more than five years, Welsh Government has committed to a legal ban on the shooting of Greenland white-fronted geese in Wales.
Greenland white-fronted geese are endangered and are under serious threat of extinction – the global population is below 20,000 birds and the wintering population in Wales is at critically low levels. In the late 1990s, over 160 birds returned to their regular wintering site on the Dyfi Estuary in Ceredigion. That figure was down to less than 25 in 2018, with a small number of sightings at other sites across Wales, especially Anglesey.
Late last year, former Minister for the Environment, Hannah Blythyn, announced that the Greenland white-fronted goose will be removed from the quarry list, prohibiting these birds from being killed or taken.
Prior to the new ban, Wales was one of the only countries on their flyway where wintering Greenland white-fronted geese were not protected by law. However, a voluntary ban was operated by local wildfowling clubs. Years of campaigning by several organisations and individuals to raise concerns about the lack of legal ban, both at an international level and within Welsh Government, has led to increased protection for these birds.
"That figure was down to less than 25 in 2018, with a small number of sightings at other sites across Wales..."
In recognition of the importance of these geese, the Welsh Greenland White-fronted Geese partnership was formed. This includes RSPB Cymru, Natural Resources Wales, Welsh Government, BASC, local wildfowling clubs and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and the work of the partnership is to discover more about these geese, especially on the Dyfi.
While we are still celebrating the legal ban here at RSPB Cymru, we remain fully committed to working with other organisations through the Welsh Government funded partnership to improve the conservation status of these rare geese in Wales.
We’ll be sure to keep you updated on the progress of these iconic birds but for now we wanted to thank you for your incredible support, which has helped to bring this important ban into effect.