Conserving Black-necked cranes

http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/magazine/11may08/inner.htm#1

Conserving Black-necked cranes

S. D. Singh Jamwal

A weekend in the heart of Lutyen’s Delhi few days back was totally nostalgic as it brought back the memories of beautiful days spent in majestic Ladakh. Not only that, but the occasion was also to meet a lot of people from Jammu and Kashmir, especially Ladakh with whom I was closely associated during my two year tenure as the district police chief, Leh. It was a two-day regional workshop on “Crane Calling : Regional Cooperation for Conservation of Black-necked Crane” organized by World Wild Fund for Nature-India (WWF) and co-organized by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN), that brought all of us together. This workshop assumed much importance as for the first time, three countries India, China and Bhutan came together to save the black necked crane.

Having braved two harsh winters in Ladakh and travelling in the entire length and breadth of the cold desert in those two years which actually made me fall in love with this region, I not only extensively research on the rock art of Ladakh besides coming out with a book on this high altitude region, but I also got the rare opportunity to see this majestic species called the Black-necked Crane, in the Changthang area during many of my summer visits to Nyoma, Hanle and even Chushul. What had fascinated me about this creature was the fact that it travelled long distances to come to Eastern Ladakh for breeding activity. In fact, Eastern Ladakh is the only known breeding population of black necked crane outside China.
Highly venerated species among Ladakhi Buddhist community, the Black Necked Crane is a mystic, mysterious but critically endangered species. It is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ in IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species and represents the fragility of this high altitude ecosystem. As it finds place in the list of 155 critically endangered bird species worldwide, every effort needs to be taken to ensure that this species which is the star species of high altitude wetlands survives.

For hundreds of Buddhists in Ladakh, the bird is a symbol of spring, hope and resilience as after severe drab winter in Ladakh, the sighting of this migratory bird brings happiness in the lives of Ladakhis. But the bird, as already mentioned, is critically endangered. Pankaj Chandan tells me that only 73 birds and 11 chicks were spotted in Ladakh last year. This is the only species that has eluded man’s scrutiny and has retained its age-old aura of mystery and charm. This is not surprising indeed since it inhabits a region that has been one of the earth’s most physically impenetrable one. There is also a mystery over the fact that where does it go after leaving Ladakh in the severe harshest cold months. Not much research has been conducted in this area and it is still not been unveiled and not much is known about the lifecycle and winter habitat of the bird.

In this backdrop, an invitation from a dear friend of mine Mr. Pankaj Chandan who has extensively worked on Black Necked Crane in Ladakh and is WWF-India’s Programme Manager, High Altitude Wetlands Conservation Programme, based in Ladakh, was indeed a rare chance to revisit the bird again and there I was at the Lodhi Road headquarters of World Wide Fund for Nature- India to attend the workshop.
Black necked cranes - the last of the world's cranes to be discovered by the scientific community in the North Eastern Tibet in1876, are the highly endangered species in the world. It is found mainly in three countries-India, China and Bhutan, mainly in the Tibetan Plateau from eastern Ladakh to northern Sichuan province in China. Black-necked Crane was first reported from Ladakh in 1919 by a naturalist F. Ludlow at Tsokar during a bird collection trip. The latest census data reveals that the total population of Black-necked Crane is around 11,000. In the recent years, winter counts of Black-necked Crane were conducted throughout its wintering range and research focusing on habitat selection, food, time budget and territories during winter have been carried out. While more birds and new wintering grounds have been located in the last four decades, actual population of this species still remains vulnerable. Wetlands are very important for this species for roosting and foraging; the Crane almost exclusively roost in wetlands, although the significance of wetlands varies from site to site. In wintering grounds, where farming activities are extensive, wetlands for the Crane have been extensively affected by the habitat loss and degradation. Because of the significance of wetlands and the pressure on the species from agricultural activities vary from site to site, more studies need to be done to make comparisons among wintering areas, and between wintering and breeding areas.

The primary objective of the workshop which brought India, China and Bhutan together to save the bird, was to facilitate knowledge-sharing and information exchange among conservation experts on the Black-necked Crane, to foster international cooperation among India, China and Bhutan, and to explore the opportunities of community exchange programmes between these countries.

“The Himalayan high altitude wetlands are crucial breeding grounds for migratory birds like the Black-necked Crane found in small numbers and very restricted areas. To protect these magnificent birds, it is imperative to protect their habitat. Culturally, this bird not only represents fidelity but has now become a fantastic symbol of international cooperation and peace between every country it befriends,” said Mr. Ravi Singh, Secretary General and CEO, WWF-India.

“Besides we want to use this species as a vehicle for International Cooperation between India, China and Bhutan and spread the message of peace and harmony through birds for whom man-made boundaries do not matter at all,” informed Mr Pankaj Chandan who has undertaken extensive field study in all the three regions of India (Ladakh), China and Bhutan on Black Necked crane and pursuing his doctoral research on this bird. The same feelings were also echoed by the Union minister for Environment and Forests Mr. Jairam Ramesh who, while inaugurating the workshop, said that the conservation of the Black-necked crane can not only save the endangered species but can also boost regional cooperation and forge strong bonds between various neighbouring countries. He termed it ‘a very rare opportunity’ that for the first time trilateral cooperation in terms of India, China & Bhutan’s coming together to save the endangered Black-necked Crane at one platform.

Perhaps very few people, both from within and outside the state, know that this creature is the state bird of Jammu and Kashmir. Even for Mr. Jairam Ramesh, it was also a revelation. He said this majestic species represents best example what regional cooperation can do and that is the most important reason that why we should take the conservation of BNC very seriously. “These migratory birds recognise no boundaries hence it becomes all the more crucial to safeguard their shared habitats for the well being of the species and the ecosystem,” he said.

WWF-India is working on the conservation of Himalayan high altitude wetlands and its flagship species like the Black-necked Crane, snow leopard and Bar-headed Goose, which are threatened by increasing anthropogenic pressure, unplanned development and unsustainable tourism, informed Archan Chatteerjee.

The workshop provided a platform for presentations and collective discussions on the status, threats and conservation efforts made so far, as well as, the potential strategies to safeguard migratory birds like the Black-necked Crane during their breeding and nesting seasons. This also included habitat modeling, mapping of migratory route and flyways and formulation of new action plans and recommendations. The concerns and conservation plans adopted by the Indian States of Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, and countries like China and Bhutan were also discussed.
The workshop recommendations focused on the requirement of more regional cooperation in order to conduct coordinated surveys and scientific research such as telemetry studies which will help us learn more about the habitat ecology of the species, the need to standardize data collection, and a thrust on education and awareness for different stakeholders. It is also envisaged to initiate the development of a Single Species Action Plan under the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the East Asian – Australasian Flyway Partnership. Further, Bhutan and India were encouraged to join this partnership.

Some other recommendations included strengthening monitoring of the population of Black-necked Crane and other waterbirds in the high altitude wetlands through their inclusion in the Asian Waterbird Census and Important Bird Areas monitoring programmes; establishment of regional information centre for Black-necked Crane; realignment (as in Bhutan) of power lines and removal of wire fences and plantations in and around wetlands used by the Black-necked Crane to reduce mortality. Human made structures harming birds. No new plantations; strengthened management and scientific restoration (according to international guidelines to maintain the ecological character) of wetlands of national and international importance for the Black-necked Crane including traditional rangeland management practices.

(The writer is a J&K cadre IPS officer)