Siberian Crane Conservation
Little was known about the biology and habitat needs of the Siberian Crane until recent decades. Russian scientists first documented the behavior and ecology of Siberian Cranes on their breeding grounds in eastern Siberia (right) in the 1960s and ‘70s, and it wasn’t until 1980 that the population’s wintering grounds in the Poyang Lake Basin in China (where over 98% of this population winters!) were discovered by Chinese scientists.
Since these discoveries, the remaining Siberian Crane populations have been carefully monitored, and recent surveys of the eastern population have consistently reported more than 3,000 birds. Siberian Cranes need wide expanses of wetlands to breed and find food. In the Artic, where human populations are low, there are extensive wetlands for nesting. In contrast, along the migration route across east Asia and on the wintering grounds, Siberian Cranes encounter large human populations that place increasingly high demands on wetland resources and water.
Wetland conservation is a challenge in east Asia, especially in China. A large complex of wetlands in northeast China provides important resting areas for Siberian Cranes during their migration. Since the 1950s, however, many wetlands in northeast China have been drained (right) or filled to create farmland. Attempting to conserve what remains of these wetlands is a significant challenge for conservationists.
This story is similar to the history of the prairies of the American west and midwest, which were plowed in the 1800s for farmland or pasture (today, less than 1% of the native tall grass prairies in the United States remain). Small pockets of these native prairies have been restored, but if the wetlands of east Asia disappear, the Siberian Crane and many other species that depend upon these areas may also disappear.
In response to growing concern for the survival of the Siberian Crane, an international project was developed to improve and maintain a network of wetlands significant for many migratory waterbirds, including the Siberian Crane. The Siberian Crane Wetland Project (SCWP) began in 2003, and project participants – including the governments of China and Russia - have been working together to integrate their conservation efforts.
Compiled from “The Lily of Birds: A Journey to Help the Most Unique and Endangered of Cranes”
Through the SCWP, researchers are learning more about Siberian Cranes through surveys and habitat studies, while conservationists are working with nature reserves and people that live within and near these reserves to protect these remaining areas for cranes. Students have also played an important role in this project. They have participated in environmental camps (right) that focus on cranes and wetlands and in Siberian Crane Festivals, which celebrate cranes through music, art, song and dance.