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European Commission Published New Guidance on Barnacle Goose Conflicts

Barnacle geese on Norderney, Germany
Conservation: Management, Human–wildlife conflict

The European Commission published new guidance on 31 July 2026 on how Article 9 of the Birds Directive can be used in conflicts involving Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis). Annex I of the Commission Notice is dedicated to the species, which remains protected and is not listed among the bird species that may be hunted routinely under Annex II.

Derogations require legal conditions and alternatives to be assessed

As with other Article 9 derogations, three conditions must be met: there is no other satisfactory solution, one of the permitted reasons in Article 9 applies, and the technical requirements of Article 9(2) are fulfilled. The annex discusses conflicts including agricultural damage, bird-strike risk around airports and impacts on other biodiversity.

The Commission describes non-lethal measures such as scaring, financial incentives or compensation for farmers, and spatial approaches that combine refuge areas with areas where geese are actively repelled. Lethal control can be authorised through derogations when the legal conditions are met, but alternatives must first be assessed and the cumulative effect of derogations must remain compatible with maintaining the population at a satisfactory level.

Different management units have different population safeguards

The guidance also stresses that different Barnacle Goose populations and management units cannot automatically be treated alike. AEWA’s 2026 assessment estimated the large Russian management unit at about 5.5 times its favourable reference population — a benchmark used to assess population status. The Baltic and North Sea units were about 1.8 and 1.6 times their reference levels and therefore below the 200% threshold that triggers coordination when substantial derogation offtake is planned.

The annex is guidance, not new binding legislation

Like the rest of the 2026 Commission Notice, the Barnacle Goose annex is interpretative guidance rather than new binding legislation. It explains how the Commission considers the existing Birds Directive should be applied while linking local conflict management to population-level safeguards.

Sources and image credit

  1. European Commission. (2026). Commission Notice — Guidance document on the general system of protection of bird species — Article 5 and Article 9 of the Birds Directive. C/2026/4094.Official Commission Notice. Annex I is dedicated to Barnacle Goose and explains Article 9 derogations, non-lethal alternatives, conflict types and population safeguards. The Commission states that the guidance is not legally binding and creates no new legal obligations.
  2. Sørensen, I. H., Germain, R. R., Koffijberg, K., van Irsel, J., & Madsen, J. (2026). Population Status and Assessment Report 2026. EGMP Technical Report No. 29.Official 2026 population assessment. For the Russia-breeding Barnacle Goose population, MU1 was about 5.5 times its favourable reference population, while Baltic MU2 and North Sea MU3 were about 1.8 and 1.6 times their reference levels and below the 200% coordination threshold.

Image: Stephan Sprinz — wild Barnacle Geese on Norderney, Germany, 21 April 2024. Source: Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 4.0. Representative species image. · CC BY 4.0 · Source

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