Recent conservation projects. An informal Red-breasted Goose International Working Group (RbGIWG) co-ordinates and promotes conservation activities for the species across the flyway (www.brantaruficollis. org). The group was established in 2005, following a workshop to review the previous EU Action Plan, and has employed a co-ordinator. An EU-LIFE Project (LIFE 04 NAT/RO/000220 ‘Improving wintering conditions for Branta ruficollis at Techirghiol’) was implemented jointly by the Romanian Water Authorities and Romanian Ornithological Society at Techirghiol Lake, Romania, between 2004 and 2008. The purpose was to maintain and protect the Red-breasted Goose population at Lake Techirghiol and its vicinity. The project achieved the designation of Lake Techirghiol as an EU SPA and a Ramsar site, and developed a Management Plan for the site. Hydrological management ensured that the salinity levels which prevent the lake freezing during winter were maintained. An area of agricultural land was leased and is managed for geese, to create a safe area and reduce conflict with farmers, and this also led to agri-environment recommendations to government.
Recent conservation projects. The decline of Long-tailed Duck and its consequent addition to the IUCN Red List was only recognised relatively recently, thus few projects focusing on Long-tailed Duck conservation have been developed. There have been, however, a number of restrictions to hunting seasons implemented as a result of the decline in abundance, and some other projects related to general seabird conservation will have benefitted Long-tailed Ducks. In particular, a number of studies and actions concerned with xxxx net bycatch have been carried out. Several studies have taken place, particularly in the southern Baltic Sea (Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia; see Žydelis et al. 2009), that have documented the extent of this mortality and the significance of it for Long-tailed Duck. As a result of these studies and other activities, the EU Bycatch Action Plan11 was agreed in 2012. This Plan sets out actions to minimise and, where possible, eliminate the bycatch of seabirds, including seaducks, in EU waters. It sets out to achieve this through a range of actions, notably calling on fishermen to apply mitigation measures to prevent seabirds coming into contact with fishing gear. It also sets out goals for research and development, and awareness-raising and training for fishermen. The implementation of the Plan, however, is largely voluntary so its degree of effectiveness remains unclear at the current time. In Poland, restrictions in fishing activities in Natura 2000 areas in order to reduce bycatch have met with opposition from fishing industry. Comprehensive networks of protected areas for seabirds have only begun to be implemented relatively recently due to a historical lack of data. Many national networks are still far from complete in several Principal Range States, but improvements to marine conservation legislation, e.g. the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, is driving forwards the implementation of protected area networks.
