Greenland white-fronted geese have undergone severe population decline and their welfare is critically dependent on traditional wintering sites in Ireland, Wales, and Scotland.
Greenland white-fronted geese face welfare challenges across their entire range. On Arctic breeding grounds, climate change is altering vegetation and weather patterns affecting breeding success. At wintering sites, loss of traditional bog and grassland habitat forces birds into suboptimal areas. Disturbance at key wintering sites reduces foraging efficiency during the critical period when body condition must be maintained for spring migration and breeding. With a small and declining total population, each individual's welfare has population-level significance. Protecting all known wintering sites from disturbance and development is essential.