ABOUT THE PROJECT

TITLE: “Conservation of the Wintering Population of the Globally Threatened Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis) in Bulgaria” (No LIFE 09/NAT/BG/00023), funded by the LIFE + Programme of the European Commission.

The project is one of the largest and most ambitious initiatives aimed at the conservation of a threatened wildfowl species to be conducted in Europe. It addresses all of the main threats facing the Red-breasted Geese in coastal Dobrudzha, which supports 80-90% of the world population in winter.

DURATION: September 2010 – May 2015

BUDGET: 2,656,608 €

PARTNERS: Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds/ BirdLife UK, the agricultural cooperative “Kirilovi Ltd.”, the Hunting and Angling Association – Shabla.

PROJECT SITES: Kaliakra Important Bird Area (IBA), Shabla Lake complex IBA, Durankulak IBA, Srebarna Lake IBA. All the project sites are in north-eastern Bulgaria.

THE TARGET SPECIES: the Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis), the most threatened goose species in the world and smallest of geese wintering in Europe.
It has a particular strikingly-coloured look but it can be surprisingly hard to distinguish in the field as the red of the breast tends to look dark. It breeds in Arctic Russia and winters around the Black Sea, especially in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine. The world population in 2010 was estimated around 60,000 birds but the numbers creep decreasing. The species is classed as ’Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List (http://www.iucnredlist.org/).

THE CHALENGES WE FACE
Red-breasted Geese face a number of threats along their migration flyway, and in the project sites specifically.

High levels of disturbance at roosts by boating and fishing
Disturbance at feeding sites caused by hunting and deliberate scaring on agriculture land
Agricultural change reducing food availability
Reduction in the availability and quality of feeding and roosting habitat due to infrastructure development: wind farms, tourism, and urban expansion
Unsustainable levels of hunting mortality
Mortality through collision with human infrastructure (wind farms, power cables, masts and other buildings)
Lack of awareness

THE PROJECT OBJECTIVES
1. Strengthen the strategic planning framework to minimise the detrimental effect of economic development on Red-breasted Geese in the project area.
2. Engage stakeholders to reduce anthropogenic mortality and disturbance of Red-breasted Geese at the project sites.
3. Engage stakeholders to develop sustainable land-management models for Red-breasted Goose conservation at the project sites.
4. Enhance community pride in and support for the conservation of Red-breasted Geese, and the Natura 2000 sites that they depend on.

ACTIONS AND MEANS INVOLVED

1. Strengthen the strategic planning framework to minimise the detrimental effect of economic development on Red-breasted Geese in the project area:

Map the areas used by geese for roosting, flightlines and feeding, to provide an appropriate spatial framework for SPA Management Planning, wider land-use planning and guidance for onshore wind farms;
Revise the National Species Action Plan, advocate for appropriate management prescriptions to be incorporated into SPA management plans and ensure adequate legal protected status for all relevant IBAs under Natura 2000;
Establish mechanism to monitor and evaluate investment proposals in the context of project SPAs management prescriptions;
Ensure effective strategic assessment of key plans and programmes by create a map of key areas for Red-breasted Goose and promoting best practice through production of guidelines for investors.

2. Engage stakeholders to reduce anthropogenic mortality and disturbance of Red-breasted Geese at the project sites:

Reduce disturbance and reduce direct killing by regulating access by fishermen, through information campaigns, creating bird identification guides and leaflets, and employing new patrol schemes, techniques and systems;
Open new fishing areas to reduce disturbance over key SPAs.

3. Engage stakeholders to develop sustainable land-management models for Red-breasted Goose conservation at the project sites:

Model and identify preferred feeding habitats of the geese, and intensity of use of different crops, to develop a set of solutions to minimise the conflict between Red-breasted Goose and agriculture- Develop and test solutions for Red-breasted Goose friendly agriculture and transfer them into the post-2013 CAP financial instruments;
Engage with the farming community to increase awareness of goose-friendly agriculture and encourage uptake of appropriate agri-environment measures;

4. Enhance community pride in and support for the conservation of Red-breasted Geese, and the Natura 2000 sites that they depend on.

Engage with local communities surrounding the Project sites, through schools and regional events;
Promote the objectives and results of the project to local and regional communities, regional and national decision makers, international NGOs and the wider public, through the project website, national and international media coverage;
Disseminate project results and findings to the wider conservation community through national and international events.

EXPECTED RESULTS

We expect that the project activities will result in the stabilisation of the Red-breasted Goose, , in its wintering grounds in Bulgarian Dobrudzha.
A particularly important outcome of the project will be the creation of a land management scheme favouring Red-breasted Goose. Securing safer foraging areas for this species is a key prerequisite for its overall success, and given that the entire global population frequently winters in Bulgaria, this project should contribute to increased survival at the population-level.

New planning documents to support Red-breasted Geese Conservation are developed and made operational
The proportion of infrastructure project consents and especially of wind farm development consents that are in locations considered to have strong negative impact on Red-breasted Geese is reduced
Enhanced knowledge of Red-breasted goose use of foraging and roosting habitats informs conservation effort
Hunting mortality at project sites is decreased
Disturbance of Red-breasted Geese by fishing activities is significantly reduced
Actively managed, hunting and disturbance-free feeding refuges are being used by an increasing and significant proportion of the Red-breasted Goose population
Proportion of the local community expressing positive sentiments towards Red-breasted Goose conservation doubles or reaches 75% (whichever is the lower) by 2015.

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