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National Action Planning Workshop for the Lesser White-fronted Goose in Bulgaria

Bonn, 2 April 2013 - National stakeholders and international experts came together for a three-day workshop in Sofia to launch the drafting process for a Bulgarian National Action Plan for the Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus). The workshop was organized by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB/BirdLife Bulgaria) within the framework of the EU LIFE+ project Safeguarding the Lesser White-fronted Goose and was facilitated by the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat.

„Excursion to the Dragoman Marsh which is the biggest natural karst wetland in Bulgaria and a designated Ramsar site“ (Photo: Nina Mikander (UNEP/AEWA)Participants were first briefed on the ongoing international conservation measures for the Lesser White-fronted Goose – such as the work undertaken by the AEWA Lesser White-fronted Goose International Working Group – as well as on the status of the species in Bulgaria. Bulgaria hosts small staging and wintering numbers of Lesser White-fronted Geese from both Fennoscandian and Western main populations and the species is listed as Critically Endangered in the national Red List. One of the main conservation challenges lies in determining where and when Lesser White-fronted Geese occur in Bulgaria as they migrate amongst the large numbers of other geese that winter in the country each year. Correctly identifying small groups or individual Lesser White-fronted Geese in flocks of several thousand Greater White-fronted Geese, for example, can literally be compared to searching for a needle in a haystack – particularly during the hunting season when the geese are skittish and not easily approached.

BSPB/BirdLife Bulgaria LIFE+ project coordinator Mr. Dobromir Dobrev also gave participants an update on the implementation of activities under the EU LIFE+ project in Bulgaria. In addition to the establishment of a National Working Group as well as the drafting of a National Action Plan, current activities include the monitoring of Lesser White-fronted Geese and the assessment of hunting pressure at key sites in the country.

AEWA Technical Officer Mr. Sergey Dereliev started the national action planning part of the workshop by leading the group in a brainstorming session to identify the threats to the species in Bulgaria. Participants identified disturbance, increased risk of human-induced mortality due to hunting and poisoning as well as habitat loss as the main threats to the species. This was followed by identifying objectives for the Action Plan. Next steps will include drafting a workplan with prioritized activities to be implemented in the short term as well as the actual drafting of the National Action Plan.

The workshop as well as the participation of the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat was funded by the EU LIFE+ project “Safeguarding the Lesser White-fronted Goose” [LIFE10 NAT/GR/638].

For more information please contact Ms. Nina Mikander, Coordinator for the AEWA Lesser White-fronted Goose International Working Group or Mr. Dobromir Dobrev, EU LIFE+ project coordinator, BSPB/BirdLife Bulgaria.

Further Information:

EU Life Natura 2000