The Black-necked Crane is the last of the world's cranes to be discovered by the scientific community, when it was first sighted by the Russian naturalist - Count Przewalski near Lake Koko Nor in the North Eastern Tibet, in 1876. Black-necked Crane was first reported from Ladakh in 1919 by a naturalist F. Ludlow at Tsokar (Ludlow 1920) during a bird collection trip. This is the only species that the crane specialist Dr. Laurence Walkinshaw was not able to study in the wild and the only one 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.
According to the latest census data available, the total population of Black-necked Crane is estimated to be 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.
Distribution of Black-necked Crane
The Black-necked Crane has a restricted distribution range mainly in the Tibetan Plateau (Pfister 1998). The range of Black-necked Crane stretches across the Qinghai (Tibetan Plateau) east to Cao Hai Lake on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau (Bishop 1996). The species breeds at elevations of 2950-4900 m in the Qinghai, from eastern Ladakh to northern Sichuan province (Bishop 1996). The only known breeding population outside China is in eastern Ladakh in India. The wintering populations of the Crane are found at lower altitudes (1900-3950 m) in Qinghai, on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and in the western-central and north-eastern Bhutan (Bishop 1996). Earlier wintering flocks which are now considered to be extinct or at least no longer confirmed were recorded in Arunachal Pradesh state of India (Khacher 1981, Gole 1996) and Hadong province in North Vietnam (Bishop 1996).
A wintering population of about 27 birds has been reported from the Apa Tani valley of Arunachal Pradesh in India (Betts 1954). At present there are no records of the species in the valley as it is densely inhabited by resident communities. However, in western Arunachal Pradesh, it winters regularly in a small number at Santi valley. During the winters of 2005-2006 a small flock of nine birds was recorded from this valley. The alarming decline in the population of Black-necked Crane in Arunachal Pradesh is due to hunting by locals. In areas like Appa Tani Valley, locals possess firearms and hunt the Cranes (Kacher 1981). This is the main reason for the alarming decline in the population of Cranes in Arunachal Pradesh and future of the species here is uncertain.
Black-necked Crane and the Cultural Heritage of People of Ladakh
The Black-necked Crane is a spiritual creature for the people of Ladakh. Most of the people living in Ladakh are Buddhist. All forms of life are respected and killing or damaging any form of life is against the basic philosophy of Buddhism.
Several local monasteries in Ladakh have paintings of gods and goddesses together with the Black-necked Crane- one such painting is in a monastery at Phyang called Tashi Choszang, 17 km from Leh. It is famous for the protective deity of the monastery, Abchi Choski Dolma. A Crane painting along with Abchi hangs on the wall of a separate room and wherever there is a painting of Abchi, it is with a Crane because the Crane is considered to be an ornament of the Abchi. In the monastery there is a natural dried Black-necked Crane reported to be brought from a pond near Spituk, 160 years ago!
The Black-necked Crane appears on Thankas, religious paintings, hanging on the walls of monasteries. In the Changthang region of Ladakh, where Black-necked Crane breeds, people live in harmony with the species and regard it as holy bird. Sighting of the species is regarded as a sign of good luck. In Hanle and Chuchul, local people consider the arrival of Black-necked Crane as a sign of prosperity.
Conservation Status of Black-necked Crane
It is listed in the Appendix 1 of CMS (Convention on Migratory Species) and is also listed on Appendix 1 of CITIES (Birdlife International 2001). IUCN has categorized the bird as Vulnerable, under Criteria A1b, c, d A2c C1 (Bishop 1996). Under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 of the Govt. of India, the bird has been categorized as Schedule 1 species (GOI, WLP Act 1972). The bird has been given the status of the State Bird of Jammu and Kashmir State of India (Bitapi 2001).
Chinese Authorities have offered the bird highest 1st class protection, listing it as endangered, in class ‘A’ (Pfister 1998).
Major Threats to the species:
■ Habitat Loss due to unregulated developmental activities.
■ Feral Dogs in Ladakh have been identified as a major threat to the small breeding population of the species.
■ Tourism activities around the high altitude wetlands which are breeding grounds for the species.
■ Excessive grazing pressure around the High Altitude wetlands.
■ More recently, Climate Change is emerging as another major threat to the species, due to which bird is loosing its breeding habitat. |
WWF’s Conservation Efforts to Conserve the Species:
WWF-India has a conservation project for the conservation of High Altitude wetlands. The project initially started in Ladakh, but recently it has been extended to other Himalayan States which have high altitude wetlands. As part of the project’s activities the Black-necked Crane has been identified as a key species for conservation. In Ladakh WWF has actively engaged all the stakeholders for the conservation of the species. In year 2008 WWF has also taken a regional initiative for the conservation of the species in India, China and Bhutan. As part of this new initiative a platform will be provided to all the people engaged in the conservation of the species in its entire range for sharing of their experiences.
