About our Partners

The non-commercial partnership "The Working Group on Waterfowl in Northern Eurasia"
was founded in 1994 with the aim of uniting the efforts of individuals and organisations with an interest in the areas of study, conservation, and the rational exploitation of waterfowl and wetlands in the countries of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia and beyond.

The Working Group's activities are aimed at the preservation and study of waterfowl, which are one of the most common types of birds in Northern Eurasia, particularly in the Arctic and sub-Arctic areas. Birds nesting in the north of Eurasia visit many countries in the course of their migration and wintering, and can fly thousands of miles in the course of their travels.

In many arctic regions, waterfowl account for up to 30 per cent, and sometimes even more, of all species of birds, and are the dominant species in the local bird populations. At the same time, these birds form an unusually vulnerable group, the more so since they have always been the target of hunters, including illegal hunters.

The Working Group brings together ecologists, ornithologists, specialists in the study and conservation of various kinds of waterfowl, such as swans, geese and ducks, and works very closely with the Russian Academy of Sciences. It also actively cooperates with a wide range of ecological organisations, nature reserves, and the Russian Federal Ministry of Natural Resources.

The Working Group was founded on the principle of voluntary membership, and has around 380 individual members and correspondent members from 22 countries, as well as 15 group-members.