P-04-544 Ban the Shooting of Greenland White-fronted Geese
P-04-544 Ban the Shooting of Greenland White-fronted Geese
We call on the National Assembly for
Wales to urge the Welsh Government to reverse their decision not to ban the
shooting of an endangered species, the Greenland White-fronted goose, meaning
that Wales remains the only country on the flight path of this endangered
species where they can still be legally shot and killed. Scientific evidence
has shown that the species is extremely vulnerable to hunting pressures. In
their consultation report, the Welsh Government also admit that failure to take
appropriate steps to reduce as far as possible Greenland White-fronted geese
adult mortality could be seen as a failure to meet conservation obligations.
Unlike Scotland, Ireland, Iceland and Greenland there is no current ban on the
shooting and killing of this endangered bird in Wales. A voluntary ban is in
place on part of the Dyfi estuary in Wales but there is evidence that the geese
also use other areas away from the estuary in mid and North Wales where no
voluntary agreements are in place.
The population of these geese, as a
whole, is declining and they have been of conservation concern since the late
1970s when sharp declines triggered protection from hunting on their wintering
grounds. They receive heavy statutory protection. However, since the mid 1990s
the population has again declined sharply. While WOS has acknowledged that long
running voluntary bans on shooting are in place at some wetlands such as the
Dyfi Estuary, it believes that nothing less than a statutory ban on shooting
will ensure its protection. The society is concerned that any voluntary ban
could be lifted at any time and that the current approach does not cover all
the sites where this declining subspecies spends the winter.
Petition
raised by: Aaron Davies
Date
Petition first considered by Committee: 29 April 2014
Number
of signatures: TBC
Business type: Petition
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
Status: For consideration
First published: 27/10/2014
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