On the northern foothills of Nyandarua Mountains (also known as Aberdare Ranges) lies a small, high-altitude and one of Kenya’s highly threatened wetlands, Lake Ol’ Bolossat. The lake has a variety of habitats ranging from montane riparian grasslands, short and tall vegetation marshlands, and open water that attract a variety of avifauna, making it one of the richest aquatic ecosystems in the country in terms of waterfowl species diversity.
In 2009 a young South African, Steven Segang, traveled outside his country for the first time to work with the International Crane Foundation’s Conservation Education Department at our headquarters in Wisconsin. Throughout the summer Steven was immersed in training to develop his education and public speaking skills while sharing his unique perspective and knowledge from South Africa with our visitors. Steven is now a successful Highveld Field Officer in South Africa, with our partner, the Endangered Wildlife Trust.
The International Crane Foundation recently signed a 20-year collaborative partnership agreement to help restore and manage Blue Lagoon and Lochinvar National Parks of the Kafue Flats in Zambia, home to the largest population of Endangered Wattled Cranes and Kafue Lechwe antelope.
The grasslands in the Greater Lakenvlei Protected Environment are home to Blue Cranes and the endangered Grey Crowned Cranes that utilize the region’s wetlands.
The Greater Lakenvlei Protected Environment was first established on April 7, 2017, covering 14,305 hectares and made up of 66 properties in the area between Dullstroom and eMakhazeni (formally known as Belfast) in northeastern South Africa. Our partners, The Endangered Wildlife Trust, with BirdLife South Africa, Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency, and the Greater Lakenvlei Protected Environment Landowners Association, completed the necessary processes, including thorough field assessments and meetings with landowners, to expand the protected area by 7,448 hectares with 32 additional properties. The expansion was formally proclaimed on September 1, 2023, and published in the Mpumalanga Provincial Gazette Number 3569.
The Western Cape aerial survey team from left to right: Pilot Mark Rule, Highland Grassland Field Officer Bradley Gibbons, Western Cape Field Officer/Leiden Conservation Graduate Fellow Christie Craig and Resource Extension Officer Pieter Botha
Ancient. Elegant. Endangered. Cranes inspire us to work for a better world. Reflecting on our golden anniversary, I am drawn to the amazing places where cranes have led us, and how decades of commitment and partnership inspire innovative new ways to safeguard cranes and the lands and waters we share.
A dead Grey Crowned Crane lies below a transmission line in southwest Uganda.
A sudden movement causes a Grey Crowned Crane pair to flush, leaping upwards until one of the cranes unknowingly collides with a powerline near their roost site. The bird later is found below the line with a wing injury or is killed immediately from the impact or electrocution.
