**5.8** *Anser indicus*

The Bar-headed Goose breeds normally in Central Asia in colonies of thousands near high altitude mountain lakes and winters in South Asia, as far south as peninsular India (**Figure 2**). The grey goose genus *Anser* has no other member indigenous to the Indian region. The Bar-headed Goose is often kept in captivity, as it is

#### **Figure 2.**

*The Bar-headed goose is one of the world's highest-flying birds and normal breeding areas often above 4,000 metres. Has recently bred in Finnish Lapland. Photo from Qinghai, China, courtesy of Coke and Some Smith <naturetraveler@msn.com>.*

**135**

*Management of the Barnacle Goose (*Branta leucopsis*) in Finland: Conservation versus Hunting*

considered beautiful and breeds readily. Breeding feral populations have become established in Norway and England, where the feral population is believed to be declining due to over-hunting [41]. Recent observations in Finland and the first breeding in Kemijärvi in Finnish Lapland [42] are shown in **Table 2**. The Finnish breeding population varies from zero to two pairs and that of Europe from 10 to 30,

The Brent Goose is a rare breeder in Greenland (100–150 pairs), Svalbard (500–1500) and the Russian Arctic (400–600) [43]. Its European wintering population used to be large (> 240,000 individuals), and it did increase between 1970–1990 [44]. However, more recently the species has undergone a large decline (> 30%) overall and is now evaluated as vulnerable [43]. It is not known if the enormous increase of the Barnacle Geese would somehow explain the decrease of the Brent Goose. Indeed, there seems to be a possibility for the extensive food competition between these two species at least on the wintering grounds where they share the same tidal zone with coastal meadows, mudflats, or sand-banks [1]. It was interesting that in 1965 I only saw the Light-bellied Brent Geese in Kapp Linné,

In Finland, the Brent Goose has never been common but in May 1954 a total of 20,000 were counted near Oulu [10] and that time the wintering population was estimated in Britain and West Europe to be only 26,500. Almost all of the birds seen in Finland are the nominate race *Branta bernicla bernicla*, though there are occasional sightings of the Eastern Siberian race *B.b. nigricans* which has a brownishblack belly and pale flanks [44]. There are also regular but few annual sightings of

The Canada Goose is estimated to be the most abundant goose species in North America, already in 2000, the population was between 4 and 5 million birds [46]. In recent years, the populations have grown substantially making it the most common goose in the world. The US goose harvest for 2013/14 reported over 1.3 million Canada Geese taken [47]. The Canada Goose was introduced to Sweden in 1930s – first shot in Finland 1955 in Hailuoto was thought to have arrived from Sweden [13]. Later it was also brought to Finland as a game animal in the 1960s but a selfsustained population developed much later, 1970s [15]. Nowadays 9,000–10,000 pairs are breeding mainly in the southern parts of the country [48]. The Canada Goose is well adapted to living in Finland and can even winter in Finnish waters. More commonly it migrates to winter in the southern parts of the Baltic Sea and Sweden, with a few birds migrating as far as Denmark or Holland [49]. In some areas, many consider them pests for their droppings, bacteria in their droppings, noise, and confrontational behaviour [49]. In Finland, these problems have been noted, particularly on the golf courses, in public parks and beaches, and planned communities. and pastures in the country. Hunting in Finland takes place from 10 August to 31 December and during the last twenty years, some 5,000 birds have

The Red-breasted Goose breeds in a relatively confined area on the tundra of central Siberia east of the River Ob as far as the Taimyr Peninsula [51]. A large part

Svalbard, while now there would be more Barnacle Geese [45].

light-bellied *B.b.hrota* race from Greenland and Svalbard (**Table 2**).

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96863*

respectively [17].

**5.9** *Branta bernicla*

**5.10** *Branta canadensis*

been shot annually [50].

**5.11** *Branta ruficollis*

*Management of the Barnacle Goose (*Branta leucopsis*) in Finland: Conservation versus Hunting DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96863*

considered beautiful and breeds readily. Breeding feral populations have become established in Norway and England, where the feral population is believed to be declining due to over-hunting [41]. Recent observations in Finland and the first breeding in Kemijärvi in Finnish Lapland [42] are shown in **Table 2**. The Finnish breeding population varies from zero to two pairs and that of Europe from 10 to 30, respectively [17].

### **5.9** *Branta bernicla*

*Birds - Challenges and Opportunities for Business, Conservation and Research*

accounted for eight cases and White-tailed Eagle for one case [15].

it does not affect the Taiga Bean Goose population [38].

or hunting statistics [38].

**5.8** *Anser indicus*

(*rossicus* and *serrirostris*) inhabit open tundra when the taiga forms (*fabalis* and *middendorffii*) inhabit open or wooded mires. Two forms differ slightly in colour, size and shape, especially bill colouration and morphology but the visual identification of each subspecies is not easy. Thus, the subspecies are not recorded in goose counts

The Bean Goose breeds mainly in northern parts of Finland, but occasionally nests have been found in bogs in Central Finland. The Finnish population estimated at 1,000–2,500 pairs [39]. The population has declined in the south due to heavy hunting from the fields [40]. A total of 1,618 Bean Geese have been ringed. The main cause of death is hunting, 89 per cent of the known causes of death. Twenty geese were predated. Out of the nine known predators, Golden Eagle is to be

The Taiga Bean Goose population was very low several years and the hunting was banned six years ago. Last year hunting started again in Lapland 20–27 August but only one bird per hunter and season are allowed and a bag reporting has to be made for each bird [40]. In the eastern part of the country, Tundra Bean Goose is much more common than the Taiga Bean Goose due to the migrating birds from Russia. These birds can be hunted from October to November but the catch has to be reported like in Lapland [40]. The genomic analysis has shown that over half of the Finnish Bean Goose bag consists of the declining Taiga Been Geese, which is far too many considering the fast decline of this subspecies [38]. The hunting of the Tundra Bean Goose with a large and stable population could be acceptable as long as

The Bar-headed Goose breeds normally in Central Asia in colonies of thousands near high altitude mountain lakes and winters in South Asia, as far south as peninsular India (**Figure 2**). The grey goose genus *Anser* has no other member indigenous to the Indian region. The Bar-headed Goose is often kept in captivity, as it is

*The Bar-headed goose is one of the world's highest-flying birds and normal breeding areas often above 4,000 metres. Has recently bred in Finnish Lapland. Photo from Qinghai, China, courtesy of Coke and Some Smith* 

**134**

**Figure 2.**

*<naturetraveler@msn.com>.*

The Brent Goose is a rare breeder in Greenland (100–150 pairs), Svalbard (500–1500) and the Russian Arctic (400–600) [43]. Its European wintering population used to be large (> 240,000 individuals), and it did increase between 1970–1990 [44]. However, more recently the species has undergone a large decline (> 30%) overall and is now evaluated as vulnerable [43]. It is not known if the enormous increase of the Barnacle Geese would somehow explain the decrease of the Brent Goose. Indeed, there seems to be a possibility for the extensive food competition between these two species at least on the wintering grounds where they share the same tidal zone with coastal meadows, mudflats, or sand-banks [1]. It was interesting that in 1965 I only saw the Light-bellied Brent Geese in Kapp Linné, Svalbard, while now there would be more Barnacle Geese [45].

In Finland, the Brent Goose has never been common but in May 1954 a total of 20,000 were counted near Oulu [10] and that time the wintering population was estimated in Britain and West Europe to be only 26,500. Almost all of the birds seen in Finland are the nominate race *Branta bernicla bernicla*, though there are occasional sightings of the Eastern Siberian race *B.b. nigricans* which has a brownishblack belly and pale flanks [44]. There are also regular but few annual sightings of light-bellied *B.b.hrota* race from Greenland and Svalbard (**Table 2**).

#### **5.10** *Branta canadensis*

The Canada Goose is estimated to be the most abundant goose species in North America, already in 2000, the population was between 4 and 5 million birds [46]. In recent years, the populations have grown substantially making it the most common goose in the world. The US goose harvest for 2013/14 reported over 1.3 million Canada Geese taken [47]. The Canada Goose was introduced to Sweden in 1930s – first shot in Finland 1955 in Hailuoto was thought to have arrived from Sweden [13]. Later it was also brought to Finland as a game animal in the 1960s but a selfsustained population developed much later, 1970s [15]. Nowadays 9,000–10,000 pairs are breeding mainly in the southern parts of the country [48]. The Canada Goose is well adapted to living in Finland and can even winter in Finnish waters. More commonly it migrates to winter in the southern parts of the Baltic Sea and Sweden, with a few birds migrating as far as Denmark or Holland [49]. In some areas, many consider them pests for their droppings, bacteria in their droppings, noise, and confrontational behaviour [49]. In Finland, these problems have been noted, particularly on the golf courses, in public parks and beaches, and planned communities. and pastures in the country. Hunting in Finland takes place from 10 August to 31 December and during the last twenty years, some 5,000 birds have been shot annually [50].

### **5.11** *Branta ruficollis*

The Red-breasted Goose breeds in a relatively confined area on the tundra of central Siberia east of the River Ob as far as the Taimyr Peninsula [51]. A large part

#### **Figure 3.**

*An original Red-breasted geese papyrus painting from the Dr. Ragab's papyrus institute, Giza, Egypt. Photo: Heimo Mikkola 1982.*


*1 Other measures include for instance different scaring methods, providing alternative foraging areas for geese etc. 2 In France, geese are hunted for recreational used only, and hunting is not related to agricultural conflicts. 3 A compensation scheme is under development negotiation.*

*4 Norway is not a member of the European Union and has a specific regulation rooted in the national game law.*

#### **Table 3.**

*Management tools used for geese in European goose management platform range states [68].*

of the population traditionally wintered in Kirov Bay in the Caspian Sea, but when vineyards and cotton replaced the cereal crops in the 1960s, the geese were forced to alter their migration strategy. Now the remaining population (less than 40,000

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*Management of the Barnacle Goose (*Branta leucopsis*) in Finland: Conservation versus Hunting*

birds) winter in suitable habitats in Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania [52]. This may not be the first time when this species had to alter its wintering site, as during the antiquity the Red-breasted Goose occurred more frequently in Egypt [53] and is

The first know record from Finland is from 6/10/1879 when one individual was caught in a snare in Sääminki [11]. **Table 2** shows that this species is becoming more common every year since 2005 but still there are no breeding attempts

From the rare geese in Finland, the real expanders have been only the Redbreasted Goose and to some extent the Bar-headed Geese which are now counted as the natural origin birds in Finland. However, none of these species in **Table 3** could

The Barnacle Goose conservation is regulated under the EU Birds Directive and it is also listed on Appendix II of the Bern Convention [67]. So the species is protected from hunting. An International Single Species Management Plan for the Barnacle Goose covers all three populations: (1) The East Greenland/Scotland & Ireland population, (2) the Svalbard/South-West Scotland population and (3) the Russia/Germany & Holland population [9]. This report aimed to provide a framework to coordinate management measures in the Range States in a manner that is

**Table 3** shows that nine out of 14 countries use various forms of financial tools to reduce economic losses due to goose foraging. Twelve countries are using also other measures such as different scaring methods or provision of alternative foraging fields for geese. Eight countries practice derogation or derogation shooting. All

With population sizes still rising, the IUCN lists the species' conservation status being of Least Concern (LC) [69]. However, as at present, the Barnacle Goose has the protection of endangered species based on the Nature Conservation Act. The coverage of monitoring of agricultural damage and conflicts is poor. Information is

The authorities should declare the Barnacle Geese as overabundant and allow a sustainable spring harvest which should be allowed only on farmlands to attenuate goose damage to crops at that time. The spring harvest could be considered also as a conservation strategy to protect the goose habitats. It is expected that very soon the rapidly increasing population will exceed the carrying capacity of their breeding areas and in winter some marshes heavily used by the Barnacle Geese become

Sustainable hunting is defined as" the use of wild game species and their habitats in a way and at the rate that does not lead to the long-term decline of biodiver-

Knowing that far more than 800,000 Barnacle Geese are feeding during the spring migration the valuable crops, especially in eastern Finland, it would not be too much to hunt 15,000 birds to compensate the crop losses. That would not reduce the total population more than two per cent even if assuming that each killed bird would have got two goslings next breeding season in the north. With the same

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96863*

[54–65].

**6. Conservation**

**7. Sustainable hunting**

completely denuded (cf. [70]).

sity or hinder its restoration" [71].

featured on ancient Egyptian paintings (**Figure 3**).

tolerate any hunting or other human disturbance [54–66].

consistent with their legal obligations (**Table 3**).

the Range States have an open season for goose hunting [68].

merely based on annual compensations applied and paid to farmers.

*Management of the Barnacle Goose (*Branta leucopsis*) in Finland: Conservation versus Hunting DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96863*

birds) winter in suitable habitats in Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania [52]. This may not be the first time when this species had to alter its wintering site, as during the antiquity the Red-breasted Goose occurred more frequently in Egypt [53] and is featured on ancient Egyptian paintings (**Figure 3**).

The first know record from Finland is from 6/10/1879 when one individual was caught in a snare in Sääminki [11]. **Table 2** shows that this species is becoming more common every year since 2005 but still there are no breeding attempts [54–65].

From the rare geese in Finland, the real expanders have been only the Redbreasted Goose and to some extent the Bar-headed Geese which are now counted as the natural origin birds in Finland. However, none of these species in **Table 3** could tolerate any hunting or other human disturbance [54–66].
