White-fronted geese will stay on the quarry list after a successful campaign by BASC – though none will actually be shot, as a voluntary moratorium continues.
Concluding a public consultation on European and Greenland white-fronted geese, Welsh environment secretary Lesley Griffiths said there was no evidence tht Greenland white-fronted geese are being shot in Wales, and agreed that geese were best protected by organisations with local knowledge, not by blanket bans.
BASC’s Conor O’Gorman said: “Our collective voice was heard by the government, while the protectionists and extremists have yet again failed to polarise shooting and conservation in Wales. The alliance between wildfowlers and bird conservation bodies can now continue to the benefit of Greenland white-fronted geese.”
Michael Sherman of the Dyfi, Mawddach and Dysynni Wildfowlers’ Association, said: “Shooting and conservation is deeply intertwined. It is clear that Greenland white-fronted geese are in need of conservation measures as they migrate to and from their wintering grounds in Wales. That is why, for over 40 years, wildfowlers on the Dyfi estuary and elsewhere have been protecting overwintering birds with an effective voluntary moratorium on shooting. We look forward to working with all involved and we are delighted with the new funding for practical research on the ground.”
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