Barnacle geese breeding in Svalbard winter in Scotland's Solway Firth, facing welfare challenges from agricultural conflict, disturbance, and the long migrations that test individual fitness.
Barnacle geese disturbed repeatedly during wintering by scaring devices, dogs, and human activity expend extra energy that compromises body condition before spring migration. Birds that fail to build adequate fat reserves on wintering grounds face exhaustion during the Svalbard migration. Licensed culling causes acute welfare harms — birds that escape wounding suffer ongoing injury from poor shot placement. Geese nesting on Svalbard cliff ledges face polar bear and arctic fox predation that causes acute distress during incubation. Climate warming may reduce sea ice that historically buffered Svalbard from predators during nesting.