30 Jun 2026 10th Anniversary of the AEWA European Goose Management Platform
The annual meeting of the European Goose Management International Working Group (EGM IWG11) in Skövde, Sweden marked the 10th anniversary of the European Goose Management Platform (EGMP).
The EGMP was established in May 2016, following Resolution 6.4 adopted by the 6th Session of the Meeting of the Parties (AEWA MOP6) in November 2015. The platform functions under the framework of the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), which provides for the conservation as well as the sustainable use of the migratory waterbird populations it covers. The platform addresses the conservation and management of declining, as well as growing, goose populations in Europe by a coordinated flyway approach amongst all Range States concerned.
The EGMP has been instrumental in developing the use of adaptive harvest management in Europe, with support from the EGMP Data Centre at Aarhus University which collects and analyses data each year to support population assessments and inform the conservation and management of the four EGMP goose species.
From FACE’s point of view, it is one of the best examples of how harvest data is being used at flyway level in Europe. Not just because of the scientific rigor, but down to the structured decision-making process. Proof of this is that decisions that were difficult to reach a few years ago now achieve consensus very quickly.
The meeting focused on the implementation of international management and action plans for several goose species covered by the European Goose Management Platform, the Pink-footed Goose, Taiga Bean Goose, Barnacle Goose and Greylag Goose. These species were managed through coordinated flyway-level approaches designed to maintain healthy populations while addressing conflicts such as agricultural damage and flight safety.
After 10 years, the EGMP is not only coordinating goose conservation and management — it is building trust, understanding and shared learning across flyways.