Healthy wetlands are critical for crane conservation, says the Endangered Wildlife Trust
World Wetlands Day, celebrated annually on 2 February, provides an opportunity to celebrate wetlands, which are critical for people, the environment, and biodiversity – including South Africa’s National Bird, the Blue Crane.
Wetlands come in all shapes and forms, from estuaries along our beautiful coastlines and high-altitude inland wetlands within the grasslands of Mpumalanga, to the hard-working wetlands within our urban landscapes. Much of our conservation effort within the EWT is centred around the protection, restoration, and management of wetlands and the catchments that feed them, and we encourage South Africans to celebrate World Wetlands Day with us each year.
Two of South Africa’s three crane species, the Grey Crowned and Wattled Cranes, are completely dependent on wetlands for their survival – yet both are threatened with extinction. Their threatened status mirrors the loss of wetlands in our country, with an estimated 50% of wetlands completely transformed in South Africa. The African Crane Conservation Programme (ACCP), a partnership between the EWT and the International Crane Foundation (ICF), has used these charismatic, long-lived birds as “flagship” species for wetland protection, restoration, and management. By securing conservation attention for conserving cranes, we not only succeed in conserving the cranes, but we simultaneously conserve the wetlands that provide cranes, people, and other species, with essential ecosystem goods and services.
Cranes are large and long-lived, elegant, birds, and their trumpeting calls and carefree, bounding courtship dances are iconic and wonderful to watch. Some people see cranes as symbols of peace, happiness, and longevity because of their lifelong devotion to their mates. But sadly, despite the love that people have for cranes, crane populations have declined globally, and in South Africa, particularly in the face of habitat change and loss. Without careful management, many crane species are doomed to extinction. Ten of the world’s 15 crane species are threatened: all four of sub-Saharan Africa’s resident crane species – Blue Crane, Grey Crowned Crane, Wattled Crane, and Black Crowned Crane – are threatened by habitat loss and disturbance, illegal wildlife trade, collisions with power lines, electrocutions, and poisoning. If we can secure their wetlands, we can improve the prospects of these species and ensure they have a viable future.
In South Africa, numerous successful partnerships have been forged by the EWT with landowners, conservation authorities and other conservation NGOs to conserve wetlands. Examples of these are areas such as the Upper Wilge Protected Environment (UPWE), the Greater Lakenvlei Protected Environment and Cedarville Protected Environment as well as in the Karkloof and Hlatikhulu Valleys where the EWT/ICF African Crane Conservation Programme has had a long-term partnership with landowners.
The EWT/ICF partnership spans more than 30 years and spans beyond South Africa’s borders to southern and East Africa. While the ICF kickstarted community-based crane conservation work in East Africa and Zambia, the EWT focussed on cranes in South Africa. However, from around 1999, ICF and the EWT started collaborating more on crane conservation efforts across the continent, and in 2005 an official Memorandum of Understanding was concluded between the two organisations.
The EWT/ICF partnership is presently operational in the Kafue Flats of Zambia, and in the wetlands of western Kenya, in northern Rwanda, and across southern and southwestern Uganda, where human activity is also placing increasing pressure on wetlands.
In Zambia, for instance, the Kafue Flats in southern Zambia is not only an internationally recognised floodplain that has been designated a Wetland of International Importance (Ramsar Site) but is also a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve in recognition of the human benefits drawn from its ecological condition. The Flats is home to 30% of the world’s population of Vulnerable Wattled Cranes, as well as Endangered Grey Crowned Cranes.
But the Kafue Flats is under severe and increasing pressure from wildlife poaching, human settlements deep inside the floodplain, unregulated livestock grazing and fishing, alien invasive vegetation, drought/water stress, and other threats. Thus, the importance of the work being done through the partnership to conserve not only threatened crane species, but also the wetlands through the clearance of invasive Mimosa pigra plants under the leadership of the EWT/ICF’s African Crane Conservation Programme. This has seen the Wattled and Grey Crowned Cranes and numerous other plants and animals starting to return to the area. We have also formed 20 Conservation Clubs, including 800 pupils and 82 teachers from 13 schools near the flats, and we are deploying newly trained community scouts to protect its wildlife and create jobs.
Further afield, the wetlands of Uganda are used as a critical nesting habitat by the Endangered Grey Crown Crane, Uganda’s National Bird. These wetlands are not only critical to prevent the extinction of Endangered species, but also necessary for the health and wellbeing of the people who live in and rely on the wetland for food and water security, livelihoods, and to slow the increasing number and scale of floods, a further impact of climate change.
You can join this valuable work for cranes and other wetland species, by making a difference to our wetlands all year round in a number of ways, including:
- Plan a wetland cleanup in your community with local schools and parents.
- Reducing your waste, reusing bottles and containers you would normally throw away, use reusable shopping bags, and recycle! Our water resources like rivers and wetlands are heavily impacted by litter and waste, so these small actions can make a huge difference.
- Reporting any illegal dumping in wetlands and rivers to your local municipality or police station.
- Supporting the efforts of organisations like the EWT in protecting wetlands on your behalf.
On 27 February 2024, Uganda will host a National Crane Festival to foster awareness and education about Crane Conservation. The event, led by the EWT and ICF is an important lead-up to World Wildlife Day on 3 March. The celebrations, being held under the theme “Connecting People and Cranes” will feature diverse activities, bringing together stakeholders from various sectors — schools, local communities, policymakers, the private sector, and the media. Key partners are the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC), Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife and Antiquities (MoTWA).