For the last few years, we have been receiving reports of a lone Wattled Crane among Blue Cranes in Mpumalanga province, eastern South Africa. Never in our wildest dreams did we think a Wattled crane would pair up with a Blue Crane, but the inevitable happened.
The International Crane Foundation in Africa calls for governments, organisations, and individuals to work alongside traditional custodians to restore wetlands for a secure future of cranes and people ahead of World Wetlands Day to be celebrated on 2nd February under the theme “Wetlands and Traditional Knowledge: Celebrating Cultural Heritage.”
More than 90,000 hectares (222,600 acres) of irreplaceable Drakensberg Grasslands will now be conserved as part of South Africa’s first large-scale, verified soil carbon project.
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.
There is growing concern for the future of South Africa’s national bird, the Blue Crane, which has been uplisted from Near Threatened to Vulnerable in the Regional Red Data Book 2025. The uplisting reflects a high risk of extinction for the species in the wild.
Concerted and targeted conservation efforts have delivered another success—the downlisting of the Wattled Crane from Critically Endangered to Endangered in South Africa.
Join us in celebrating World Wetlands Day on Feb. 2 – Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future!
