Current estimates of goose population sizes in western Europe, a gap analysis and an assessment of trends

Authors

  • Anthony D Fox Department of Wildlife Ecology and Biodiversity, National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University
  • Bart S Ebbinge
  • Carl Mitchell Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
  • Thomas Heinicke
  • Tomas Aarvak https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4592-9123
  • Kendrew Colhoun RSPB Northern Ireland Office https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4451-695X
  • Preben Clausen Department of Wildlife Ecology and Biodiversity, National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8986-294X
  • Sergey Dereliev UNEP/AEWA Secretariat, UN-Campus Bonn
  • Sándor Faragó University of West Hungary, Faculty of Forestry, Institute of Wildlife Management
  • Kees Koffijberg SOVON
  • Helmut Kruckenberg
  • Maarten J J E Loonen Department of Arctic and Antarctic Studies, University of Groningen https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3426-4595
  • Jesper Madsen Department of Arctic Environment, National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3246-0215
  • Johan Mooij Biologische Station in Kreis Wesel
  • Petr Musil Department of Zoology, Faculty of Sciences, Charles University
  • Leif Nilsson Department of Animal Ecology, Lund University
  • Stefan Pihl Department of Wildlife Ecology and Biodiversity, National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University
  • Henk van der Jeugd Vogeltrekstation – Dutch Centre for Avian Migration and Demography, NIOO-KNAW https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5332-9526

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34080/os.v20.19922

Keywords:

overwintering, population decline, conservation

Abstract

We estimated the size of 30 defined populations of geese wintering in the Western Palearctic (including five released or reintroduced populations of three species). Fourteen populations were accurately estimated from almost full count coverage or robust sampling and ten were well estimated based on more than 50% of their total being counted. An estimated 5.03 million geese wintered in January 2009, up on 3.10 million in January 1993. Only two populations numbered less than 10,000 birds (Scandinavian Lesser White-fronted Goose and Svalbard/Greenland Light-bellied Brent Goose, the former being critically small within restricted range). Eighteen populations numbered 10,000–100,000, eight 100,000–1,000,000 and the largest 1.2 million individuals. Of 21 populations with known longer term trends, 16 are showing significant exponential increases, 4 are stable and one declining. Amongst these same populations, five are declining since the 1990s. Long term declines in productivity were found in 7 out of 15 populations. Amongst most of the 11 populations for which data exist, there were no  significant long-term trends in annual adult survival. Improved monitoring, including demographic, is required to retain populations in favorable conservation status.

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Published

2010-10-01

How to Cite

Fox, A. D., Ebbinge, B. S., Mitchell, C., Heinicke, T., Aarvak, T., Colhoun, K., … van der Jeugd, H. (2010). Current estimates of goose population sizes in western Europe, a gap analysis and an assessment of trends. Ornis Svecica, 20(3–4), 115–127. https://doi.org/10.34080/os.v20.19922

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