IRISH BRENT GOOSE RESEARCH GROUP
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WHO WE ARE
The Irish Brent Goose Research Group (IBGRG) is dedicated to the conservation of Light-bellied Brent Geese in Ireland, through a programme of research and monitoring, education and outreach activities. The group is comprised of interested individuals and representatives of key stakeholder groups which have the conservation of the population as a shared interest. These include: The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), BirdWatch Ireland (BWI), The National Trust (NT), University of Exeter, and Queen's University Belfast (QUB).
The Group was established in 1996 as a consultative group to guide and stimulate interest in the conservation of this species. In the last 10 years the activities of the group have grown considerably, including a range of educational and outreach initiatives, and research throughout the flyway in Iceland and Canada. As such we have established solid working relationships with individuals within the Canadian Wildlife Service, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources and Icelandic Institute of Natural History.
Why Brent Geese?
This population is from the breeding stock distributed during the summer in the eastern Queen Elizabeth Islands in Canada's High Arctic, north of Lancaster Sound, north to the northern tip of Ellesmere Island and west to eastern Melville Island. This majority of the population stages in western Iceland in spring and autumn. While the wintering range extends as far south as NW Spain (small numbers), the most southerly significant concentration is found in northern France. Ireland is especially important as a wintering ground as almost the entire population occur on the island during autumn and winter. Holding such a large proportion of this flyway population, coastal sites all around Ireland are especially important.