The Wexford slobs provide a winter home for thousands of geese but create problems for farmers.
More than half of the world's population of Greenland White-fronted Geese overwinter in Ireland, but greater efforts are required to support both the birds and the Wexford farming community who host them.
The Wexford Slobs a low-lying area of farmland to the north of Wexford Harbour are the wintering grounds for approximately eight thousand Greenland White-fronted Geese.
The birds who live for most of the year in western Greenland and arctic Canada, make the long journey to Ireland before the onset of winter, and remain here until their return journey in the spring.
Wexford's North and South Slobs provide a hospitable environment, with a relatively mild climate and an abundant supply of food for hungry geese.
A paradise for conservationists and bird lovers.
It is quite the opposite for local farmers however, as the food in question is located in their fields and grazing birds make sizeable inroads into grass and crops. In other European countries farmers are compensated for disruption cause by wildlife, but no such scheme is available here. These Wexford farmers lose income every year, as
About seven geese eat the same grass as one sheep.
Recent studies put the population of the Greenland White-fronted Goose at approximately twenty two thousand. It is estimated that ten thousand winter in Scotland. As John Wilson from the Forest and Wildlife Service explains, Ireland has a significant role in the conservation of this species as the majority spend winter here,
That is a special responsibility.
The Greenland White-fronted Goose was once a common sight on Ireland’s boglands, but eradication of their habitats has forced the birds to look elsewhere for food. Agricultural improvements around Wexford Harbour since the beginning of this century have attracted the birds in ever-increasing numbers.
The Wexford Wildfowl Reserve which was founded in the 1970s is jointly owned by the Forest and Wildlife Service, and the Irish Wild Bird Conservancy. IWC Director Richard Nairn says conservationists are aware of the farming community’s concerns and believe the best outcome is one that strikes a balance between allowing space for wildlife as well as peoples’ livelihoods,
So that they can accommodate the geese on their land, without any loss of income.
In contrast to a century ago, when wild geese were hunted for profit in Wexford harbour, permission has been granted to a group of local farmers to cull a small number of the birds. The primary function of the shooting is to prevent the geese from feeding on winter crops maintains one farmer, as
Nobody is looking to permanently damage the population.
The size of the flock depends on the land which sustains them, says John Wilson, and as a recent ringing and marking project has shown, some groups within the Wexford population are moving on to another part of the sloblands,
Land can only hold so many geese, and the birds will then disperse.
This episode of 'Face of the Earth’ was broadcast on 31 March 1987. The reporter is David Cabot.
‘Face of the Earth’ was a series which looked at events and issues relating to the environment and how they affected Ireland. Presented by Ciana Cambell and David Cabot it ran from 1986-1989.
