Integrating farming and wildlife conservation: the Barnacle Goose Management Scheme Original Research Article

Since 1994 the Barnacle Goose Management Scheme (BGMS) has integrated conservation and agricultural aims on the Scottish side of the Solway Firth. In the 4 years before the introduction of the BGMS, the density of barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) on the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Reserve at Caerlaverock was four times higher than on the non-Reserve area. In the 6 years following establishment of the BGMS, the density of geese on non-Reserve fields rose so that the Reserve had twice the density of the non-Reserve area. No difference in density was found between fields in the Feeding Zone and Intermediate Zone of the BGMS. The density of barnacle geese around the study area appears to be at a maximum under current management regimes. The remaining geese from this increasing population are using other feeding areas. This may lead to further conservation-agriculture conflict in the future, but could be mitigated through expanding the range and quality of the BGMS, through increasing the dedicated reserve network, or through a combination of the two.