Lesser White-fronted Goose Life Project

Fledgling of Lesser White-fronted Goose, Taimyr, Russia © Petteri Tolvanen

Conservation of the Lesser White-fronted Goose on European Migration Route - EU Life Project 2005-2009

An international EU Life Nature project, titled “Conservation of the Lesser White-fronted Goose on European migration route” started in April 2005 and ended in March 2009. The project was run by WWF Finland, with nine more partners in Finland, Norway, Estonia, Hungary and Greece.

The objective of the project was to improve and monitor the conservation status of the Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus, LWfG) at the most important breeding, staging and wintering sites along the European flyway of the critically endangered Fennoscandian LWfG breeding population.

The project aimed to put in to practice the international Action Plan for LWfG, published by European Commision in 1996, and to eliminate the most important threats for the species at the project sites. The ultimate objective of the Lesser White-fronted Goose conservation was to achieve a favourable conservation status of the Fennoscandian LWfG breeding population. In the short term, the goal was to halt the decline of the Fennoscandian LWfG population.

In the potential breeding grounds in the Fennoscandian tundra, the project aimed to localise the most important breeding areas, and to secure favourable conservation status of these areas. At the staging and wintering sites, the project aimed to eliminate the most important threats for the species, i.e. high mortality due to hunting and poaching, loss of original feeding and roosting habitats, and human disturbance. The project also aimed to identify further needs for LWfG conservation measures along the flyway.

A summary and conclusions are presented on the Project page. The final report, as well as other publications by the project are available as pdf files on the Publications page.