Bonn, 27 June 2025 – Inside a small conference room at the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat, a group of dedicated experts, government representatives and observer organizations settled into their seats, joining other meeting participants that were connected remotely. Their task: to revise the International Single Species Action Plan (ISSAP) for the Taiga Bean Goose (Anser fabalis fabalis) adopted in 2015. 

The AEWA ISSAP covers the entire subspecies of the Taiga Bean Goose, currently divided into four populations based on their breeding and wintering areas.  Although the Taiga Bean Goose has experienced a long-term decline mainly caused by overharvesting and loss of habitat, the successful coordination of adaptive harvest management and conservation efforts by Range States under AEWA’s European Goose Management Platform, have led to the stabilization and recovery of the central population in recent years – the largest population of the sub-species.  

For three days, from 1- 3 April 2025, the discussions in Bonn focused on ways to further enhance conservation action and scale up successful initiatives for the Taiga Bean Goose. Workshop participants considered emerging threats, new scientific information and practical experience from ten years of conservation planning for the sub-species. The workshop, which included both in-person and remote participants from nine Range States, the European Union and two observers, was a crucial milestone in the ongoing effort to protect the species under the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement. 

 Taiga Bean Goose Workshop at the UNEP/AEWA Secretariat in Bonn, Germany (1-3 April 2025) © Florian Keil

Dr Niels Kanstrup, wildlife biologist at Aarhus University who is part of the compilation team of the revised ISSAP for the Taiga Bean Goose said: "The AEWA International Taiga Bean Goose Action Plan is the first of its kind to oblige range states to take action to conserve a huntable species in decline. Ten years after the plan came into force, it can be concluded that it was effective, as essential objectives have been achieved and the population has at least partially recovered. This demonstrates the value of such instruments and serves as motivation for further coordinated and binding action that will benefit the Taiga Bean Goose and other species of international concern."   

The discussions held during the workshop led to the proposal of key updates in the ISSAP and confirmation of priorities for the sub-species. These included: 

• Maintain and implement the international adaptive harvest management framework to ensure that legal harvest does not jeopardize conservation. 
• Address relevant knowledge gaps and needs with special attention to the Western and Eastern populations. 
• Strengthening international coordination among the Range States to minimize illegal harvest. 
• Engaging local stakeholders, including hunters, farmers and birdwatchers. 

“International cooperation plays an important role in terms of Denmark's responsibility in protecting the Taiga Bean Goose and making sure that national management is done in a sustainable way,” said Søren Egelund Rasmussen, the representative from Denmark attending the workshop. “Thanks to the work being done under the AEWA action plan for this species, we are taking into consideration the many factors, that influence the birds along their entire flyway. The international cooperation which is so essential in this process builds on transparency and thereby trust between the countries,” said Rasmussen. 

The revised action plan is expected to be presented to AEWA decision-making bodies at the forthcoming 9th Session of the Meeting of the Parties to AEWA (MOP9) for formal adoption.  

"The review process was crucial in aligning our conservation efforts with the current needs of the Taiga Bean Goose populations," said Jacques Trouvilliez, Executive Secretary of AEWA. "The first 10 years of implementation has demonstrated the efficiency of the action plan. Yet it will require continued commitment from governments, conservation organizations, and local communities to ensure that this adaptive, science-driven approach will continue to ensure a future for this waterbird,” concludes Trouvilliez.