05 Oct 2017 AEWA MANAGEMENT PLANNING WORKSHOP ON GREYLAG GOOSE

From 3 to 6 October 2017, governments, stakeholders and experts convened in Paris for the first planning workshop on the Greylag Goose International Single Species Management Plan (ISSMP). This plan is part of the Africa Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), with the goal of applying a flyway approach to the management of an over-abundant (conflict-causing) goose species. The most important conclusion of the workshop was that sustainable hunting should be the main objective of the ISSMP.

After a steep decline of certain geese species (e.g. Greylag and Barnacle) during the 20th century, these species have seen remarkable improvements in recent years. This is mainly due to changes in agriculture practices with some geese populations now causing considerable problems in different parts of their flyways (e.g. the Netherlands). To reduce conflicts, the management of these migratory species has to be internationally coordinated.

The approach of the workshop was different to the Barnacle Goose management planning meeting in June in Denmark. In Paris, the focus was more on what the different stakeholders want and can bring into process, taking a more holistic approach to the flyway level management. As well as focusing on harvest, there were also broader discussions on other instruments like damage compensation, mitigation and changing agricultural practices. The European Commission expressed its support for the ISSMP and stressed the need for EU Member States to work with the flexibility offered under the Birds Directive.

FACE Members are encouraged to contribute to this plan through the FACE Secretariat and their relevant government agencies. The timeline for this ISSMP:

December 2017 – 1st consultation on draft ISSMP
January 2018 – modelling work
February 2018 – 2nd consultation on draft ISSMP
June 2018 – final draft ISSMP and submission to AEWA Standing Committee
September 2018 – final draft of ISSMP submitted to AEWA’s 7th Meeting of Parties
January 2019 – 2nd Greylag Goose Management Plan Workshop
June 2019 – 4th European Goose Management International Working Group – implementation launch of ISSMP

Related Page:
AEWA – African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement