Wildlife

Wild Barnacle Goose Arctic Welfare

Barnacle geese breed in the Arctic and Greenland, with UK wintering populations depending on undisturbed coastal grasslands, with welfare shaped by hunting on migration routes and habitat availability.

Key Facts

Over 60,000 Greenland barnacle geese winter on the western coasts of Scotland and Ireland
Svalbard barnacle geese winter in the Solway Firth totalling over 40,000 individuals
Barnacle geese graze on short coastal grassland requiring careful habitat management
Hunting on Greenland is permitted with quota systems affecting population welfare
Disturbance causes energy-costly flight in birds that must build reserves for Arctic migration

Welfare Considerations

Barnacle goose welfare depends on undisturbed winter feeding habitat and sustainable hunting quotas. Both are active management questions affecting the welfare of tens of thousands of individuals.

What You Can Do

Support wetland nature reserves protecting barnacle goose wintering habitat
Record barnacle goose counts through WeBS monitoring to track population trends
Donate to organisations managing Scottish and Irish coastal grasslands for wintering geese
Advocate for evidence-based hunting quota management for Arctic barnacle goose populations