Ten Year Collaborative Partnership Results in Nearly Doubling the Siberian Crane Population

After a successful 10-year partnership for Siberian Crane Flyway Conservation, the International Crane Foundation announced the population of Siberian Cranes in the eastern flyway region has increased from less than 3,500 in 2015 to almost 7,000 cranes today. The Foundation held closing ceremonies in China last week to celebrate the Saving Wildlife for Siberian Crane Project, with 110 representatives from government departments, protected areas, scientific research institutions, non-governmental organizations, volunteers, and communities attending the ceremony and workshop.

A Bold Commitment

On a recent visit to the flats: To get an idea of where the birds were, we visited a fishing camp. The fisherfolk said, there and there and there! The Ranger helped us get there. And there and there. And behold. Congregations of water birds of global significance. In the Kafue Flats. The vision of the Kafue Flats Restoration Partnership is “A Thriving Wetland For All.” — Mwape Sichilongo The Kafue Flats in Zambia is the most important floodplain in Africa for Wattled Cranes. More than 3,000 of these majestic birds (a third of the total population) depend on the Kafue Flats for their breeding, feeding, and roosting needs. Local communities who share this floodplain with Wattled Cranes call them, Nakaala, meaning “the one who lays only one or two precious eggs.” They are the most wetland-dependent of Africa’s cranes and important indicators of the health and ecological functioning of this enormous floodplain.

Controlling invasive Mimosa pigra in the Kafue Flats of Zambia

Garlic mustard, black locust and buckthorn… At the International Crane Foundation’s headquarters in Wisconsin, these three plant species are on the most wanted list of invasive species that our staff and volunteers work to eradicate each year. We remove these species as part of the broader habitat restoration program at our headquarters, which serves as both a living classroom and a home to many species of native plants and animals.

A Future for Sandhill Cranes in the Columbia River Lowlands