The announcement that the European white-fronted goose will remain on the quarry list, following the removal of the declining Greenland race, is welcomed by BASC.
The Greenland white-fronted goose had been originally removed following a complaint to the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) that England and Wales were not protecting the species from hunting, despite a successful moratorium by wildfowling clubs.
Some groups called for the removal of the European white-fronted goose as well due to their near identical features. However, following BASC’s evidence-led consultation response, the decision has now formally been taken that only the Greenland race will be removed.
BASC’s response recommended the retention of the European race as quarry because of their robust population level, the general spatial separation of the two species across England and Wales and the successful moratorium for the Greenland race over the years.
James Green, BASC’s head of wildfowling, said: “The English and Welsh governments’ decision to listen to our evidence-based recommendations is to be welcomed.
“It is unfortunate that the effective moratorium was not enough to satisfy AEWA, but we remain proud of the wildfowling communities’ efforts and the pragmatic measures they put in place over many decades to help conserve the Greenland race. BASC and wildfowling clubs will continue to work proactively for the conservation of the Greenland race.
“As a result of our efforts and through partnership and on-the-ground work, wildfowlers can continue to sustainably harvest European white-fronted geese. This result is the culmination of a number of years hard work to secure the future of sustainable shooting.”
