Prof. Dr. Bernhard Seliger – Dr. Hyun-Ah Choi, Hanns Seidel Basis Korea and Birds Korea
Chicken safety is an advanced interaction of extra species-oriented safety (for instance, safety in opposition to unlawful looking or using dangerous chemical substances) and extra habitat-oriented safety (e.g. safety in opposition to reclamation of tidal flats). When in mid-August in Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia the Goose Specialist Group beneath the Worldwide Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) met for his or her 20th assembly, round 100 consultants from across the globe got here collectively to debate each the species- and habitat-related points. All in all, geese are an instance for fairly profitable efforts – some goose species like Greylag Geese, but in addition Higher White-Fronted Geese, noticed large will increase in numbers over the past many years, none the least because of extra sustainable looking follow. Others, like Brent Goose (listed as Brant Goose by IOC and Birds Korea) , usually are not globally, however are quite regionally threatened. Within the meantime, common conferences and worldwide cooperation led to a vastly improved understanding of the ecology of the birds. Due to the great group of the assembly by chairman of the IUCN Goose Specialist Group Peter Glazov and his staff in addition to Dr. Nyambayar Batbayar of the Wildlife Science and Conservation Middle of Mongolia, the native co-organizer. Hanns-Seidel-Basis was among the many sponsors of the assembly.
A variety of fascinating shows handled the migratory routes of Brant Geese, the state of affairs of geese in South Korea, and the conservation of geese in international locations neighboring Korea. Yusuke Sawa of the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology, Abiko, Chiba, Japan talked about “Migratory routes and inhabitants standing of Brant Goose in East Asia”. Northeast Asia has solely a quite small inhabitants estimated to be solely 8,700 birds and little data is offered for his or her migration. Since 2017 Japan outfitted 67 birds with transmitters. Whereas now there appears to be higher data on migration routes, nonetheless the way in which of birds in DPRK is at the hours of darkness. Observations on the bottom present Brant Geese in Rason to Wonsan – from there, they may migrate via the Korean Peninsula to China. Dr. Hansoo Lee of the Korea Institute of Environmental Ecology in Daejeon, South Korea offered concerning the Present standing of geese species in Korea. Knowledge from 2015 to 2020 within the nationwide simultaneous waterbird census in winter performed yearly by the Ministry of Atmosphere exhibits that the populations of the white-fronted goose and bean Goose, that are the dominant wintering species, are steadily growing, with the close to absence of looking and poaching and administration actions for geese populations. An identical development was discovered for Japan as Tetsuo Shimada of the Miyagi Prefectural Izunuma-Uchinuma Environmental Basis, Kurihara, Miyagi, Japan, experiences. In his research on Higher White-Fronted Geese he discovered that annual numbers elevated fivefold from 2004 to 2020. Oleg Goroshko of the Daursky State Nature Biosphere Reserve, Nizhny Tsasuchey, Zabaikalsky Krai, Russia, gave the fascinating instance of the standing and conservation of the Swan Goose inhabitants in Russia, which in his space is deeply affected by 15-year dry and moist cycles.
North Korea might be probably the most under-researched areas on the East Asian Australasian flyway, because of difficulties to enter the nation and to survey the nation, as Hyun-Ah Choi and Bernhard Seliger mentioned. Nevertheless, within the early 2000s after which once more from 2015, there have been growing potentialities to do some sort of analysis, associated to the accession of North Korea to the Ramsar Conference on Wetlands (2017) and the East Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership (2018). Essential analysis on waders and Anatidae included a research on Swan Geese in Mundok, establishing Mundok as a first-rate stopover space of the globally weak species. That is associated to the nonetheless largely intact tidal flats within the Korean West Sea (Yellow Sea). Whereas North Korea like its neighbors China and South Korea does some massive reclamation tasks, progress is sluggish as a result of lack of equipment. At the moment, when the injury achieved to the ecology and the very restricted – if in any respect – financial advantage of reclamation turns into seen in South Korea and China, there may be nonetheless time to forestall bigger injury to be achieved in North Korea. For this, work on the preservation of tidal flats is critical, together with capability improvement of environmental choice makers and specialists in North Korea. One very encouraging issue is that Mundok just lately has been ready as a possible candidate for UNESCO World Heritage, which provides hope for even increased recognition nationally and higher safety of the realm. There are nonetheless lots of open analysis questions relating to geese in North Korea; there’s a lack of know-how and observations on much less quite a few geese and vagrants noticed within the South, however not North Korea, there’s a lack of know-how on the precise migratory routes, few is thought on wintering geese (since winter is the time when visits to the North are most troublesome) and so forth. As members of the IUCN specialist group we’re welcoming any concepts for joint analysis or concepts for tasks on geese in North Korea (anybody , please contact us at seliger@hss.or.kr). The 20th assembly of the Goose specialist group in Ulaanbaatar was an important alternative to extend information, meet specialists, begin new partnerships, and get insights in finest follow. Thanks a lot to the organizers. Hopefully, the assembly could have a long-lasting affect on a greater safety of geese world wide and on the Korean Peninsula.
Group image of the 20th Assembly of the IUCN Goose Specialist Group
The “Seoul” staff in Ulaan-Baatar: Prof. Tomasz Wierzbowski, Dr. Hyun-Ah Choi, Prof. Bernhard Seliger and guide Hyeseon Do, previously of the East Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership
Some observations on Geese in North Korea
Bar-headed Geese Anser indicus in Khovd, Mongolia, seen on a subject journey – these geese haven’t but been noticed in North Korea, however are vagrants to South Korea…© Bernhard Seliger
Brant Geese Branta bernicla in Wonsan Bay, North Korea, in 2018 – whereas their migratory route has been fairly nicely documented, North Korea continues to be a darkish spot in worldwide research…© Bernhard Seliger
