Remote tracking of the spatio-temporal distribution of western taiga bean geese (Anser fabalis fabalis, Anseriformes, Aves) in Russia for improving the conservation strategy

The Western Taiga Bean Goose subpopulation wintering in Europe has been shown to decline in the recent decades. At the same time, the population dynamics of most migratory birds largely depend on the quality of migratory stopover sites necessary to replenish energetic reserves. The migration ecology of the Western Taiga Bean Goose has been insufficiently well studied, being known: only in general terms, but the timing of migration, the places of many key stopovers in Russia have not described. Neither information on their conservation status nor the intensity and duration of their use by birds are available. Without this knowledge, no effective protection of any migrating population is possible to organize. We analyzed the dynamics and phenology of migrations, as well as the conservation status of stopover and pre-migration sites of the Western Taiga Bean Goose nesting in the forest zone of Western and Central Siberia and wintering in northern Germany and Poland, based on GPS-tracking. We used data from 45 completed spring migrations from 25 tagged birds and 36 completed autumn migrations from 20 birds over the period of 2019–2023. Only 15.3% stopovers are covered by the existing network of protected areas, where the geese spend only 19.2% time. The results of the study can be used to develop an effective strategy for the conservation during the period of migration. We propose a hunting ban and/or the creation of protected areas within the main key stopover sites.

Anseriformes, waterfowl, migrations, rare species, stopovers, protection gaps