Cranes and Wetlands

Sarus Cranes, and a host of other wildlife species, in south Asia thrive in an unlikely landscape - the crowded and nearly-completely cultivated floodplains of north-central India, and southern Nepal. This collaborative programme of the International Crane Foundation and NCF is striving to uncover how this alliance of people and wildlife is possible, and how it can be strengthened.

Waterbird Monitoring Over Time and Space

Cranes and many other waterbirds in south Asia are long-lived, have wide distribution ranges, and with the majority of their populations outside of protected wetland systems. Scientific information to understand their ecology and inform conservation interventions are largely missing. Our work strives to fill this lacuna by undertaking systematic, long-term monitoring of waterbird populations in diverse landscapes.

Breeding success in croplands

Of Storks In Farmlands

Exploring the SarusScape

Sarus Cranes inhabit landscapes with a multitude of cropping patterns, human habits, and a pleasantly high wild species diversity. As part of our work we explore patterns and processes driving habitat and biodiversity persistence, and the ecology of species and habitats, in these landscapes. We explore also impacts of past and current institutional frameworks that act on the Sarus, on the co-occurring species, the wetlands, and indeed the landscape to locate conditions that maximize coexistence.

Agricultural wetlands, big and small

When wetlands are changed to fishponds..

SIS-SG

The IUCN Stork, Ibis and Spoonbill Specialist Group (SIS-SG) is a global network of scientists, conservationists, governmental and non-governmental institutions, and people committed to the scientific understanding.

Introduction to the SIS-SG

Farming for Cranes

Farmlands, we are discovering, are a habitat that cranes and other waterbirds use. As part of a new and novel long-term initiative, we will explore ways to experimentally improve these "habitats" to safeguard cranes. Farming without chemicals, using seeds that are traditional, networking with farmers whose lands are vital for waterbirds, and engaging with communities who collectively manage wetlands: these are just a few of the initiatives we are developing.