Renewed Commitment to South Africa’s National Bird Focuses on Habitat Restoration and Collaboration With Farmers

CONTACT: Jodi Legge, Vice President of External Affairs, 608-356-9462 ext. 120

The Endangered Wildlife Trust/International Crane Foundation Increases Efforts to Conserve the Blue Crane

September 5, 2025—The International Crane Foundation, in partnership with the Endangered Wildlife Trust, has increased its efforts to conserve South Africa’s national bird, the Blue Crane.

As South Africa celebrates Heritage Month, and ahead of marking Heritage Day on September 24, the Endangered Wildlife Trust/International Crane Foundation partnership has launched its new Blue Crane project focusing on habitat restoration, addressing threats posed by infrastructure, collaborating with partners such as farmers, and monitoring and research.

As South Africa’s national bird, the Blue Crane is an important part of the country’s natural heritage serving as a flagship for conservation in agricultural landscapes, from the rolling grasslands of KwaZulu-Natal to the expansive plains of the Karoo, to the patchwork of crops and Renosterveld in the Western Cape. Photos by Pieter Botha/International Crane Foundation and Endangered Wildlife Trust

Since 1994, the partnership has been committed to Blue Crane conservation in South Africa, running projects in the grasslands, Karoo, and Western Cape. Over the last 10 years the majority of our applied crane conservation work has focused on the Drakensberg region where Blue Cranes have historically faced steep declines. With consistent conservation action, including natural habitat protection, powerline mitigation, and community projects, Blue Crane numbers are slowly increasing in this region. Up until 2010, Blue Crane numbers were increasing and healthy in the Karoo and Western Cape. However, a recent Ph.D. study reveals that numbers have been declining in these areas, especially in the Overberg where counts have dropped by 44% between 2011 and 2025. For more info on the reasons for this decline see our July update, An Icon Under Threat.

This sparked the need for renewed conservation effort leading to the development of a  multi-stakeholder conservation plan with the help of the Conservation Planning Specialist Group, gathering inputs from non-government organizations, industry, and government. The Conservation Plan comprises four parts:

Natural Habitat Protection

We have been, and will continue to be, very active in this space through our Drakensberg project. We are committed to protecting natural habitat for Blue Cranes through mechanisms such as Biodiversity Stewardship and biosphere reserves. To scale up our impact for Blue Cranes we will be expanding this work into the Karoo.

Our team is collaborating with landowners in the Drakensberg region to remove non-native invasive trees, restoring grassland habitat for Blue Cranes and other wildlife. Sara Gavney Moore/International Crane Foundation

Addressing Energy Infrastructure Impacts

Blue Cranes are particularly susceptible to colliding with powerlines, and with renewable energy development and grid expansion in South Africa this is increasingly a threat to the species. Through our ongoing work with Eskom, we will continue to address this issue through powerline mitigation and improved powerline routing.

‘Crane Friendly Agriculture’

We are engaging with the agricultural industry to co-create solutions that allow Blue Cranes, and other species using the agricultural matrix, to thrive alongside agricultural production. Blue Cranes are especially dependent on agriculture in the Western Cape but also use agricultural habitats in the Karoo and grasslands. Our work in the agricultural sector will focus on addressing threats such as poisoning and breeding disturbance, as well as helping farmers address crop damage issues.

Research and Monitoring

This is an essential underpinning of any good evidence-driven conservation project. Through monitoring crane numbers and breeding success we will be able to gauge our impact. Without research we wouldn’t have known that Blue Cranes numbers were declining or why. Through continued research we will keep abreast of changes in the Blue Crane population and in the landscapes that they depend on.

Through the implementation of this four-pronged approach, we are confident that we can reverse the decline in the Blue Cranes populations in the Karoo and Western Cape, as we have done in the Drakensberg region.

Second from left to right: Highland Grassland Field Officer Bradley Gibbons, Conservation Scientist Dr. Christie Craig, and Carbon and Sustainable Agriculture Project Manager Pieter Botha prepare for a crane aerial survey in South Africa.