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We estimated the size of 30 defined populations of geese wintering in the Western Palearctic (including five released or reintroduced populations of three species). Fourteen populations were accurately estimated from almost full count coverage or robust sampling and ten were well estimated based on more than 50% of their total being counted. An estimated 5.03 million geese wintered in January 2009, up on 3.10 million in January 1993. Only two populations numbered less than 10,000 birds (Scandinavian Lesser White-fronted Goose and Svalbard/Greenland Light-bellied Brent Goose, the former being critically small within restricted range). Eighteen populations numbered 10,000–100,000, eight 100,000–1,000,000 and the largest 1.2 million individuals. Of 21 populations with known longer term trends, 16 are showing significant exponential increases, 4 are stable and one declining. Amongst these same populations, five are declining since the 1990s. Long term declines in productivity were found in 7 out of 15 populations. Amongst most of the 11 populations for which data exist, there were no significant long-term trends in annual adult survival. Improved monitoring, including demographic, is required to retain populations in favorable conservation status.

Captive breeding and release of ring-necked pheasants Phasianus colchicus became very intensive in Hungary in the 1960s. In the peak year, 1977, over one million birds were harvested which was a 4-fold increase compared to the late 1960s. In the late 1970s, ca one million birds were released annually. In the 1980s, the number of harvested pheasants started to decrease in spite of the fact that still more birds were released (about 1.8 million in 1990). The spring population size of the pheasant has also decreased from nearly 2.5 million in the late 1970s to 700,000 in 1995. The most important factor responsible for the decline is the loss of favourable habitat due to large-scale agriculture. Moreover, the increased proportion of released birds into the female pheasant population lowers the number of recruits per adult hen as has been shown in England. The mortality of wild hens and their progeny might also increase because of increased predation pressure and diseases e.g. botulotoxicosis-which both result from the increased density due to the massive releases. It is now evident that improving habitat quality would be a better way to manage pheasant as well as other wildlife populations in Hungary, and a management program towards that end has been initiated.