- A long standing collaboration exists between Norway and Greece, the countries at the beginning and the end of the journey of the Fennoscandian Lesser White-fronted Geese. The NorGreck project (2016-2020) is funded through BirdLife Norway by the Norwegian Environment Agency and implements conservation, advocacy, communication and education actions for the Lesser White-fronted Goose.
The Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus) is a migratory waterbird that breeds in the Scandinavian and Russian arctic and subarctic zones and flies through the Baltic countries, Hungary and Greece as well as Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, Uzbekistan and even China and Japan. It is a globally threatened species that is classified as Vulnerable (VU) by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as Endangered (EN) in Europe and as Critically Endangered (EN) in the EU.
Since the beginning of the 1990s the Hellenic Ornithological Society has had a crucial role in the international conservation efforts for the species and in particular of the Fennoscandian population of the Lesser White-fronted Goose that winters almost exclusively in the wetlands of northern Greece for approximately 6 months of the year. In fact, Greece seems to be the most important country for this tiny population as these geese spend more time here than in any other country along their migration route. The Fennoscandian Lesser White-fronted Goose population is now perhaps the most well monitored Waterbird population in Europe.
>> Check their almost real-time observations in the portal for the species
- You can download the Report of the Monitoring of the Lesser White‐fronted Goose in Greece for the period 2017 ‐2018 from HERE and for the period 2018-2020 from HEREThe report of the monitoring mission for the Lesser White‐fronted Goose at the Evros – Meriҫ Delta (Greece – Turkey), February 2018 is available hereThe final report of the Phase II of the NorGreck Project (February 2019) is available here
The Lesser White-fronted Goose international poster | In PRINT version can be downloaded from here
Stickers "Conservation without border for the Lesser White-fronted Goose": In English | In Greek | In Norwegian | In Russian | In Farsi
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The Lesser White fronted Goose flies in schools!
In the framework of the NorGreck project, the Environmental Education Department of the Hellenic Ornithological Society has produced a series of educational materials for the Lesser White-fronted Goose in English, Norwegian, Russian and Farsi in order to promote the conservation of the species in Norway, Russia, Iran and also elsewhere.
The educational materials produced, were adapted from the respective editions in Greek that were designed by the Hellenic Ornithological Society within the framework of the European LIFE+ project, “Safeguarding the Lesser White-fronted Goose Fennoscandian population in key wintering and staging sites within the European flyway” (LIFE10 NAT/GR/638).All materials, addressed mainly to children 4-12 years old, were created to raise awareness and promote action towards minimisation of biodiversity loss, by focusing on a globally threatened species, the Lesser White-fronted Goose. In Greece, more than 6,000 students and 250 teachers participated in the overall activities of the educational programme. All results were presented at the Arctic Biodiversity Congress, 2018.We hope this educational material finds a positive response from the other countries visited by the Lesser White-fronted Goose, with small local networks, “acting locally, having thought globally”; working together to ensure not only safe places for wintering and breeding but also safe passages for migratory birds. The material refers to the Lesser White-fronted Goose in Greece but most of the activities can also related to other countries and even other waterbird species.
The Lesser White-fronted Goose "speaks" English Educational activities for children 9-12 years old: "The Lesser White-fronted Goose: a goose gone wild and global"
Supplementary material for the activities: Presentation “Visit from the past”
Children Story: “A goose no less… a Lesser White-fronted Goose”
Colour book: “The Lesser White-fronted Goose Colour Book”
Floor Game: “Lesser White-fronted Goose game”
The Lesser White-fronted Goose "speaks" Norwegian
Supplementary material for the activities: Presentation "Besøk fra fortiden: Fra Archaeopteryx til dverggås"
Children Story "En liten gås, intet mindre enn en… dverggås!"
Colour book: “Dverggås fargeleggingsbok”
The Lesser White-fronted Goose "speaks" RussianChildren Story: "Больше чем малый белолобый гусь -пискулька!"
The Lesser White-fronted Goose "speaks" Farsi 
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