The Greenland White-fronted Goose Study (GWGS) is an independent organisation dedicated to the study and conservation of the Greenland race of the circumpolar White-fronted Goose. GWGS was originally established by a bunch of undergraduate students studying at Aberystwyth University in the mid-1970s.
Its general mission is pretty all encompassing, however, given that the organisation has no employees and is wholly based on volunteer efforts, it is no surprise that efforts need to be highly focused.
Annual census
The main activities of GWGS are therefore the co-ordination of an annual census of all known regular wintering flocks of the population in Britain and the co-ordination of a re-sighting database of all individually marked birds from the population throughout its range.
Expeditions
In addition, the group has been very active in organising expeditions to different parts of the wintering range, staging areas and breeding grounds. When faced with particular conservation issues (such as the threatened destruction of Duich Moss, Islay, the most important Greenland White-fronted Goose roost in Britain), the Study has been both vocal and active in raising awareness about the plight of the population.
You can read more about the history of GWGS and some of the people involved with the organisation here.
1979 May to August Eqalungmiut Nunat from Anne Fox on Vimeo.