The entire Svalbard barnacle goose population winters on the Solway Firth in Scotland and England, making this site of critical welfare importance for the population.
The concentration of the entire Svalbard barnacle goose population at the Solway Firth creates both welfare management opportunities and risks. Any catastrophic event at Caerlaverock could affect a significant proportion of the population. Winter habitat quality and disturbance directly affect the welfare of every individual in the population. WWT reserve management including grazing management and disturbance control is critical. The long monitoring dataset allows welfare trends to be tracked over generations.