Figure
1.
Current distribution of the Red-crowned Crane in China
| Citation: |
Liying SU, Hongfei ZOU. 2012: Status, threats and conservation needs for the continental population of the Red-crowned Crane. Avian Research, 3(3): 147-164. DOI: 10.5122/cbirds.2012.0030
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The Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) is a globally endangered species. Although this species has received much attention by scientists, conservationists and the general public, the continental population of the Red-crowned Crane continues to face serious threats which affect not only its population dynamics but also its breeding and wintering habitats. Habitat loss and deterioration are the main causes of the decline of its population. With the massive loss of habitats in all parts of its range-breeding, stopover and wintering grounds-the cranes have been forced into crops and farmlands where cranes are more vulnerable to human activities, such as poisoning the cranes and conflicts with farmers. From our review of studies done over 30 years, the eastern flyway subpopulation has been stable or slightly increasing and the western flyway subpopulation of the Red-crowned Crane has sharply declined in recent years. The wintering population for the western flyway has declined from over 1100 to less than 500 birds. Not only is the size of the population reduced to less than 50%, but most recently the decline has occurred with frightening speed, by 50-150 birds per winter. The current wintering range for the west flyway is only about 8% of its extent in the 1980s. Urgent actions for habitat protection, law enforcement and education need to stop the declining trend for this species.
The Red-crowned Crane (Grus japonensis) is a globally endangered species, with the second smallest population among all crane species (Meine and Archibald, 1996; IUCN, 2012). The cranes breed in large wetlands and prefer to nest in shallow water with good reed cover; they feed on a variety of foods, both animals and plants (Ma, 1982; Su, 1993; Zou and Wu, 2006, 2009). We knew very little about the distribution, population, and breeding ecology of the species in China before the 1980s.
Since then, the Red-crowned Crane has received intensive study in China, more so than any other crane species (Wang and Ma, 1987; Wang, 2002; Wang and Yang, 2002, 2005). Up to 2002, there have been over 363 publications out of 1129 publications about cranes, or about 1/3 of the total, related to Red-crowned Cranes according to the Bibliography of Crane Research in China (Ma et al., 2005). Responding to field research results and international concern, the Chinese government has set up over 30 reserves for protecting breeding, stopover or wintering grounds of the species since 1979 (Harris, 1992; Zou and Hu, 2008). The crane is also one of the most popular wildlife species for ordinary Chinese people (Yan, 2002). The Red-crowned Crane gained overwhelming support from ordinary people during the national bird selection process.
However, the continental population of the Redcrowned Crane continues to face serious threats that affect not only its population dynamics but also its breeding and wintering habitats. In particular, the west flyway population of the Red-crowned Crane has sharply declined in recent years. This paper reviews the current status of the continental population of the Redcrowned Crane, the threats the birds are facing and recommends further needs for research and conservation action.
On the basis of its geographic range and migratory behavior, the Red-crowned Crane currently is divided into two entirely separate populations: continental and island populations. The island population lives in the southeast and northeast of Hokkaido, Japan. This population is non-migratory (Masatomi and Momose, 1995). The world population of the Red-crowned Crane has risen above 2800 individual birds in the wild recently, because the island population continues to increase in Japan, now over 1300 birds (Masatomi, 2008). There are about 1500 birds in the continental population.
The continental population is migratory, with its main breeding wetlands in lowlands and river floodplains of northeast China and the far southeast of Russia, primarily in the Amur (Heilongjiang) River Basin (Johnsgard, 1983; Meine and Archibald, 1996; Fig. 1). A small isolated population breeds in coastal wetlands of the delta of Shuangtaizi River (Yao, 1984). A few scattered pairs breed in Xingan Meng and the eastern part of Xilinguole Meng of Inner Mongolia and the southern foothills of the Lesser Xingan Mountains (Duan and Du, 1987; Xing et al., 2005).
The continental population currently has two geographically separated wintering areas: the middle part of the Korean Peninsula, along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the eastern coastal intertidal wetlands of China, primarily at Yancheng in Jiangsu Province (Ding and Zhou, 1982; Lee, 2009). From color marking and satellite tracking studies, we learned that the birds breeding in the lower reaches of the Amur (Heilongjiang) River, on both the Chinese and Russian sides, the Sangjiang Plain, the Ussuri River and at Xingkai (Khanka) Lake are wintering on the Korean Peninsula; the birds breeding in the Songnen Plain, the upper and middle reaches of the Amur River, the eastern Daurian Steppe and the western part of its range are wintering on the east coast of China ― primarily at Yancheng (Xu and Su, 1987; Xu et al., 1995; Higuchi et al., 1998; Tamura et al., 2000; Higuchi and Pierre, 2005; Wang, 2000, 2007).
Recent field surveys indicate that the number of birds in the continental population using the eastern flyway to Korea have been stable or are slightly increasing in the Sanjiang Plain, the Ussuri River Basin and the lowlands around Xingkai (Khanka) Lake (Ma and Jin, 1987; Andronov et al., 2008; Liu et al., 2009b; Jiang et al., 2010, 2012; Surmach, personal comm.).
Comparing previous studies to current studies on the Red-crowned Crane in Sanjiang Plain, except for the Dulu River, the breeding populations at the major breeding sites all experienced declines from the 1980s to the 1990s, but have recovered slightly in recent years (Fig. 2). The breeding birds at Dulu River declined in the 1990s, then completely disappeared in the 2000s. Another pattern typifies the most eastern populations, those of Xingkai Lake and Fuyuan/Sanjiang along the Ussuri River, which have a more clearly increasing pattern. The wetlands and landscapes have been significantly changed from large expanses of wetlands into smaller fragments surrounded by farmland (Liu and Ma, 2000; Liu et al., 2005; Zhang et al., 2009). We do not know whether the pattern of the population recovery is from adaptation by cranes to the changed landscape or suitable natural conditions, or both.
Similar to the breeding grounds, the eastern wintering population on the Korean Peninsula has been stable or slightly increasing in recent years (Lee, 2009; Lee and Seunghua, 2010). For the eastern population, however, its wintering areas have gone through a process of change ― the previously scattered wintering sites have mostly been replaced by one major concentration at Cheorwon on the DMZ. The apparent increase in population size may be the result of the loss of these wintering sites, formerly along both eastern and western coasts and concentration of cranes into locations more easily counted (Meine and Archibald, 1996; Lee, 2009; Lee and Seunghua, 2010). Currently the wintering habitat for the crane in the DMZ is the result from the political standoff between North and South Korea, where the locations have not received protection status for the cranes or other wildlife. Should the political situation change in Korea, human land-use demands might transform the limited lowland areas available to cranes and these winter grounds could also disappear.
The subpopulation along the western flyway, however which breeds in wetlands of the middle reaches of the Amur (Heilongjiang) River on the Russian side and on the Daurian Steppe and Songnen Plain, has been decreasing (Su, 2008).
The breeding area of the Red-crowned Crane on the Daurian Steppe includes Torey Lake in Russia, the Dalai Lake area, as well as flood plains along the Hui, Morigele and Argun rivers. There are few historical crane records on the Chinese side of this region (Ma and Li, 1990; Gao et al., 1999). Compiling all scattered data, we obtained a rough understanding of the changes in crane population in the Daurian Steppe (Fig. 3). The crane population has varied considerably over time and declined sharply in recent years (Goroshko et al., 2004; Goroshko, 2009, 2010, 2012; Liu and Su, 2010).
There are no detailed records of the cranes at Dalai Lake, the Hui or Argun rivers from the 1980–90s. We do know the habitat conditions were good at that time. There were large patches of reed marsh at the mouth of the Kerulun River (inlet to Dalai Lake), the south shore of Dalai Lake, the flood plains of the Wuerxun River and Hulungou during that period, especially in the late 1990s (rich water years). The Red-crowned Cranes bred in all of these wetlands, estimated at least 10–20 pairs in total in the Dalai Lake area based on memories of Ming Li, a staff member of Dalai Lake NNR. The situation for other wetlands ― the Hui River and the Argun River ― has been similar, with sizable breeding flocks in those wetlands (Goroshko, 2009, 2010, 2012). With the present low water period of the climate cycle, plus a high human demand for water, many wetlands have dried out or shrunk in the west of Hulunbeier (Yan et al., 2012). The breeding birds disappeared from these wetlands, such as the south shore of Dalai Lake and the flood plains of Hulungou and Wuerxun River. Currently in Dauria the only relatively large and stable breeding population is in the Hui River wetland, although this area also has low reproduction and a declining trend (Liu and Su, 2010; Liu et al., unpublished).
The Songnen Plain has a stable breeding population of Red-crowned Cranes at the Zhalong wetland, with few satellites at small nearby sites such as Xianghai, Keerqin, Momoge, Tumuji, and Halahai wetlands. Comparing the total number of cranes in the 1980s to the current number in the Songnen Plain, there is a small change in the number of breeding cranes; however, the alarming sign is that some of the satellite sites are disappearing and habitat conditions at Zhalong are deteriorating (Fig. 4).
In the southwest of the Songnen Plain ― the Huoling River Basin, there are three breeding sites: Xianghai, Keerqin and Momoge. The Xianghai wetland was the second largest breeding site for the cranes in the Songnen Plain; however, numbers declined from its peak, i.e., close to a hundred birds in 1999 (He et al., 2005), to almost no wild cranes breeding in 2010. There is a pair nesting in a reed marsh near the captive crane pens, which includes one hand-raised female paired with a wild male during the last three years. Keerqin had a breeding population of around 30 cranes in the 1980s (Xing et al., 2005) but no wild birds breeding since early 2000 (Qian, 2010; Qian et al., 2012). Momoge has had low occurrences of the crane. The highest number reached 12 birds in the mid 1990s (He et al., 2005). There has been no breeding record in the past four years in Momoge. There are now no breeding Redcrowned Cranes in the Huoling River Basin which was a viable breeding area before the 1990s.
Little is known about the cranes in the 1980s at Tumuji and Halahai. At least, there were still small populations in the late 1990s to early 2000 (Li and Li, 2001; Y. Guo, personal comm.). With increasing human disturbances, draining and reclaiming wetlands and surrounding grassland, the number of cranes declined (Li and Li, 2001; Cheng et al., 2010). Even though there are still small populations in the summer, it is hard to say whether these sites are "source" or "sink" habitats.
Compared to previous studies, the number of cranes in Zhalong is now higher than in the 1980s but lower than in the 1990s (Feng and Li, 1985; Pang, 2000; Qian et al., 2012). With over 200 cranes summering in the wetland, despite the recent decline, it still is a sizable population with a high potential to recover if habitat conditions are good. However, the very low ratio of chicks to adults could be a serious issue for population stability (Qian et al., 2012).
The changes in crane population to some degree reflect the wetland situation at Zhalong in recent years (Su et al., 2011). In the last few decades, the wetland has suffered from serious ecological problems: water shortage, wetland shrinkage, degradation and fragmentation, hydrological change and fires (Kong et al., 2007; Tong et al., 2008; Zhang et al., 2008). Hydrological changes are the root of all these problems and include water sources cut off, flood regime changes and high canalization in the wetland (Lü et al., 2005).
The Zhalong Wetland has been supporting the largest breeding population of the Red-crowned Crane. It plays an important role for crane conservation in the region. It is significant that this wetland could serve as a stable source habitat which could provide individual surplus birds for population recovery in adjacent satellite wetlands. If the Zhalong wetland continues deteriorating, however, that would have very serious negative impacts on the subpopulation on the western flyway. Recent years have seen the establishment of a water release program intended to restore the wetland ecosystem, which is funded by Heilongjiang, Qiqihar and Daqing governments. These releases may reverse the downward trend of the wetland ecosystem so that Red-crowned Cranes and other wetland birds have a secure future (Harris, 2011).
As elsewhere, at the stopover sites for the western flyway subpopulation ― Panjin and Yellow River Delta ― we see the same declining pattern (Shan et al., 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009; Li et al., 2010, 2012). At the stopover sites, with the cranes coming and leaving, it is difficult to make exact counts; however, the number of Redcrowned Cranes at peak migration time are lower than before and the size of the migratory flocks are also smaller (see Fig. 2 from Li et al., 2012).
Lianfengshan, in Qinhuangdao, is a spot where the migratory cranes pass by and provides a good view to count migratory cranes flying overhead (Williams et al., 1991; Chun, 2010). Studies using three time series, i.e., from 1985–1986, 1996–1998 and 2005–2008 obtained at this location, indicated that the number of Redcrowned Cranes bypassing the area declined in both springs and autumns in the 2000s compared to numbers in the 1980s.
Threats to cranes are more immediately serious at the wintering areas of the western flyway. First the wintering range has shrunk dramatically, accompanied by a major population decline. In the early 1980s in eastern China, the western flyway subpopulation had several small wintering flocks scattered among inland lakes and the floodplains of Shijiu, Caizi and Chendong (in Huoqiu County) lakes in Anhui Province, the Hongze, Gaoyou and Dazong lakes in Jiangsu Province and the ancient Yellow River channels in addition to the large coastal population (Ding and Zhou, 1982; Yan, 1986; Wang, 1998; Wang and Yang, 2005). These small outlier flocks have disappeared since 1993 due to construction, water projects and aquaculture (Lü et al., 2000; Wang et al., 2008), leaving a single large wintering population at Yancheng's coastal wetlands in Jiangsu, with a second small flock at the Yellow River Delta of Shandong.
The Yellow River Delta has the only stable small wintering flock outside Yancheng in China. There are very few individuals ― 7–14 birds were found in winters of the 1980s (Sai et al., 1991; Wang et al., 2010). In 2002 and 2006, the Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve using water from the Yellow River created two patches of reed marshes (totally 10000 ha), which provide suitable habitat for the cranes and other waterbirds. The size of the wintering flock of the Red-crowned Crane has varied from 18–75 birds in recent years. Although the Yellow River Delta only supports 1%–5% of the total continental population, with efforts to control a suitable depth of water and other favorable conditions in the manmade reed marshes and efforts to protect the natural tidal flood wetlands for the cranes, this site could potentially support larger populations in the future if the climate becomes warmer. This delta is very important for the future security of the species (Su et al., 2008). The size of the wintering population in Yancheng was 1128 cranes at its peak in the winter of 1999–2000, but has declined to around 400 cranes in the winter of 2008 –2009, a decrease of more than 50% over the past 10 years (Wang, 1997; Wang et al., 2005; Su et al., 2008; Wang, 2008, 2010). Most recently the decline has occurred more quickly, by 50–150 birds per winter.
The distribution range and pattern of wintering cranes have been changing along the eastern coast of China since the late 1980s (Ding and Zhou, 1982; Lü and Zhou, 1990; Wang et al., 2005; Su et al., 2008; Ma et al., 2009), with areas of occupancy shrinking dramatically. During the 1980s this range stretched from south of Lianyungang City to Qidong City, north of Chongming (Shanghai) along the coast. Currently the cranes mostly occur at coastal wetlands in Sheyang County and the northern part of Dafeng City, plus a small unstable flock of 10–30 individuals at the Guandong Salt Farm in Xiangshui County. While its distribution range shrank, the distribution pattern of the cranes changed from a continuous distribution along the coast to patchy ― isolated groups in a few wetlands, with about 60%–70% of the total wintering population occurring in the core area of Yancheng Nature Reserve. Flocks of 25 and 67 cranes were seen in Guanyun and Guonan counties (south of Lianyungang City) in 1983 and in 1985 (Shi and Wu, 1987); there have been no cranes since the 1990s. The cranes in Chongming, Qidong and Rudong perhaps disappeared in the late 1980s. The sites in Haibin County were lost in the mid 1980s (Lü and Zhou, 1990). Some flocks of the cranes in Dongtai and the south of Dafeng were still present until 2004 except on the site of the Liuzaotan mud flood where the crane left in 1998 (Wang et al., 2005), while no cranes were found in the winters from 2006 to 2009 (Su et al., 2008). Comparing early survey results (Zhou and Huan, 1986; Shi and Wu, 1987; Lü and Zhou, 1990) to a current study (Su et al., 2008), there are now only 6–7 sites with cranes present out of 28 sites in the past. With all these sites lost, the wintering range of the Red-crowned Cranes currently is less than 300 km2, which is about 8% of its range in the 1980s (Zhu et al., 2004; Wang and Shi, 2006; Su et al., 2008; Wang et al., 2008).
The reasons for the population decline are mainly changes in habitats throughout the range of the species (Liu and Ma, 2000; Ma et al., 2000; Su, 2008, Zhu and Liu, 2008; Table 1). These changes include reclaiming and draining wetlands, cutting off water sources of the wetlands and a recent dry period in the climate cycle. All of these factors result in the wetlands shrinking and drying out, vegetation changing and fragmentation of habitat. Fragmentation reduces the quality as well as the size of patches of suitable crane habitats, making these patches more vulnerable and sensitive to any human impact such as water construction, filling of lakes, diking natural coastal wetlands, pollution, wild fires and any form of human disturbance such as fishing and livestock grazing, or people simply walking across the wetland to get from one village to another.
| Sites | Period | Wetland loss (%) | Reasons for loss | Source |
| Small Sangjiang Plain (northeast corner of the Sanjiang Plain) | 1976–2005 | 69.43 | Reclaiming for farming | Zhang et al. (2009) |
| Naoli River Basin | 1950–2000 | 87.30 | Reclaiming for farming | Liu et al. (2005) |
| Bielahong River Basin | 1950–2000 | 75.28 | Reclaiming for farming | Liu et al. (2005) |
| Zhalong | 1979–2008 | 10.40 | Water projects | Zhang et al. (2008) |
| Xianghai | 1984–2004 | 13.10 | Lack of water, irrigation | Ren et al. (2007) |
| Panjin | 1989–1994 | 18.34 | Oil exploration | Hu et al. (2004) |
| Panjin | 1994–1998 | 18.73 | Oil exploration | Hu et al. (2004) |
| Yellow River Delta | 1986–2001 | 27.02 | Oil exploration | Shu et al. (2004) |
| Dazong Lake | 1980s–2000 | 100.00 | Aquaculture, diking | Lü et al. (2000) |
| Yancheng | 1987–2007 | 53.20 | Aquaculture, diking, building port | Sun and Liu (2010) |
| Yancheng | 1988–2006 | 53.81–66.91 | Aquaculture, diking, farming | Ke et al. (2011) |
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Overall, the breeding areas of the mainland population of the Red-crowned Crane are located in the transition zone between the monsoon and continental climates. Crane habitats in the eastern part have relatively wetter conditions because of more regular rainfall (Liu et al., 2007a). The western part of the population, breeding along the edge of semi-arid landscapes, relies upon ecosystems that are variable and vulnerable to water shortage, more profoundly affected by climate cycles and easily impacted by human disturbances to the natural hydrology.
The wetlands of Xianghai and Keerqin are located in the western part of the Songnen Plain, close to the western edge of the range of the species. In the last ten years, these wetlands have badly deteriorated due to reduced rainfall and increasing temperatures, plus increasing human population and agriculture land ― demanding more water (Bian et al., 2004; Ren et al., 2007; He et al., 2009). In years with plentiful rainfall, such as in 1998, there is surplus surface water for the wetlands; then, the crane population would recover (Han et al., 2005; He et al., 2005). When the rainfall and surface water were reduced, the surrounding wet meadows and grasslands degraded, the wetlands shrunk sharply and some small patches disappeared, as did the breeding cranes that depend on these wetlands. Recent management efforts ― bringing water from the Chaershen Reservoir (over 100 km distance) in 2005 and 2011 to these wetlands still did not succeed in reversing the drying out process.
The coastal wetland Yancheng, at the southern end of the western flyway, has been under tremendous pressure from development. Almost all the natural tidal flooded wetlands along the Jiangsu coast have been converted into aquaculture ponds, farmlands, or massive transportation port facilities, with development especially rapid since 2000. The Yancheng Nature Reserve was reduced in size twice and faces another wave of development. The only remaining large patch of natural wetland is part of the core area of the Yancheng Nature Reserve (Wang et al., 2008; Ma et al., 2009).
During the period of 1987–2007 in Yancheng, natural wetlands ― the most suitable habitat for the Redcrowned Cranes ― were reduced to about 53%–67% of their former surface area (Sun and Liu, 2010; Ke et al., 2011). The plant biomass per square meter of the Yancheng wetland was reduced by 15.66% from 1992 to 2006 (Yang, 2008). Another serious ecological issue for coastal wetlands in Yancheng is the invasion of Spartina alterniflora to the natural wetlands that were important but now unsuitable habitat for Red-crowned Cranes (Liu et al., 2009a). All these changes forced the cranes to shift their foraging habitats to man-made wetlands or uplands, from less than 30% of use to more than 60% of habitat use, to locations where cranes are more vulnerable to human activities, where conflicts with farmers may arise (Ma et al., 2009).
From well known wetlands, such as Zhalong, Sanjiang, and Yancheng to the less publicized Halahai and Dazong lakes, none has escaped from human demands for more lands, water, or other resources (Li and Li, 2001; Liu et al., 2005; Tong et al., 2008; Zhang et al., 2009).
Often developments are implemented without careful consideration of the requirements for maintaining healthy wetland ecosystems, changing the natural hydrological characteristics and systems of adjoining wetlands. These changes threaten or destroy the integrity of wetland ecosystems. A typical example of such an impact is Zhalong Marsh.
Prior to the late 1980s, water for Zhalong Marsh came mainly from the Wuyuer and Shuangyang rivers, surface flow from surrounding landscapes and periodical flood waters from the Nen River during wet years (Liu et al., 2007a). Here we are only describing direct water input into the immediate area of Zhalong Marsh, not discussing water diversions from the upper reaches of the Wuyuer and Shuangyang rivers.
Three major canals ― the Zhongyin, Eighth and Ninth Canals were constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s ― now form a circle that completely surrounds the wetland, including its entire core area (Fig. 5). Natural sources of water input for the wetland have been greatly reduced and are now limited mainly to rainfall. The Zhongyin Canal blocks water coming from north of the wetland, including the main channel of the Wuyuer River. The Eighth Canal originates from Zhongyin, runs from north to south along the west side of the wetland and meets the Ninth Canal at Dashengyingzi, in the southern part of the wetland. The Eighth Canal cuts off all surface and flood water from the west and from the Nen River. The Ninth Canal starts at Dongsheng Reservoir at the east end of Zhongyin, located by the northeast corner of the core area of Zhalong NNR and runs along the eastern side of the wetland, then turns west at Hatahe and meets the Eighth Canal. The Ninth Canal cuts off all floodwater from the east and from the Shuangyang River. These three canals are 30 m wide and 3–5 m deep and were constructed to meet increasing water demands for agriculture, human population and industry; they were not designed to drain Zhalong Marsh.
Under the local climate, with normal annual rainfall around 400 mm and annual evaporation of about 1100 mm, Zhalong Marsh started to dry out after the canals were built. As a result of drying of the wetland, frequent large scale (> 10000 ha) fires occurred during the spring in the early 2000s (Cai et al., 2002; Xie, 2002; Tian, 2004; Kong et al., 2007). These fires destroyed all vegetative cover as well as the nests of the cranes and other waterbirds. Thus these changes to hydrology of the wetland damaged the integrity of the ecosystem and threatened the survival of the cranes and birds.
In general, the factors leading to a population decline could be high emigration, low reproduction, or high mortality of the population. From previous studies, we know that cranes have strong site fidelity; there is no evidence the cranes would shift wintering sites from Yancheng to Korea. Therefore, the western flyway subpopulation decline would not be due to cranes shifting their wintering site to Korea.
We did see low numbers of chicks at some breeding sites; however, the chick ratios in winter areas, both Yancheng and Korea, have been around 10%–25% (Wang et al., 2005; Lee, 2009; Su, personal data). The mean ratio of chicks to all cranes present for the island population from 1991 to 2004 was 11.64% in Hokkaido, Japan (Masatomi, 2008). The chick ratios of the continental population have been higher than that of the stable or growing island population in Hokkaido. A declining population with large numbers of chicks suggests high adult mortality.
Habitat loss throughout the range of the species forces the cranes into crops and farmlands and puts these birds at greater risk of poisoning, collisions with powerlines, development of windfarms with associated power lines, especially on migration routes and wintering due to lack of natural wetlands at stopover and wintering areas. Every year since 1995, there have been reports of Red-crowned Cranes poisoned at a number of locations (Appendix 1). It is impossible to obtain complete mortality reports on the cranes. This fragmentary information obtained from internet and news and some veterinary reports is perhaps only a small portion of the actual mortality or injury to the cranes (e.g., Fang and Ji, 2005; Lin, 2005).
Cranes are also taken from wild populations by capture and removal to captivity. Again, there are few records or reports on this issue. Within booming private and corporate wildlife parks and shows, however, people often see the lovely Red-crowned Cranes. These cranes often have come from the wild (Sannongzhifujing, 2010; Yangzhiye, 2012).
We do not have exact numbers of cranes that have died from poison and injuries, or that have been captured. With only a small population of around 500 birds for the western flyway, any portion lost could be important for the species. Loss of adults is especially serious since the species does not breed until four to five years of age and then, at most, raise 1–2 chicks/year (Johnsgard, 1983; Meine and Archibald, 1996).
Comparing the number of cranes wintering at Yancheng and the Korean Peninsula, the ratio of the two populations has reversed from about 3:1 in the1990s to 1:2 in 2010 (Park, 2008; Su et al., 2008; Wang et al., 2008; Lee, 2009). If this trend continues, we will lose the western subpopulation in a future which we hope never happens.
In order to ensure the future of the Red-crowned Crane on the mainland, by counteracting the downward trend of the western flyway subpopulation, we need to intensify our conservation efforts. We make the following recommendations: restrict all developments within every natural wetland that currently serves as habitat for cranes; ensure feasible protection of water sources of all wetlands that are crane habitats; restore wetlands through provision of water releases; strictly enforce laws forbidding collection of eggs and catching of chicks or adult birds for trade; strictly prohibit the use of poisons near areas of wintering, stopover and breeding; strengthen management of captive breeding to prevent transmission of diseases from captive to wild cranes and ensure that captive management practices strongly support field conservation needs. We also suggest expanding field research to learn whether the Sanjiang population is breeding well, to design measures to improve reproduction if needed, to monitor habitat management/restoration efforts to guide conservation actions, such as timing and location of water releases and annually monitor birds across all breeding and winter areas.
We wish to thank the many specialists and nature reserve staff members who have studied Red-crowned Cranes. This paper would not have been possible without their efforts. We also want to thank Professor Qishan Wang for his dedication in crane research and conservation and his encouragements to us over many years.
| Date | Location | Description | Source |
| 1990-1991 winter | Haifeng Farm, Dafeng County, Jiangsu | 4 poisoned and died | Yan Ke, http://jsnews.jschina.com.cn/yc/201001/t298981.shtml |
| Nov 1991 | south of Wanggan, Dafeng County, Jiangsu | 12 poisoned and died | Yan Ke, http://jsnews.jschina.com.cn/yc/201001/t298981.shtml |
| 13 Sep 1995 | Xianghai, Jilin | 1 poisoned and survived | http://2007.changchun.gov.cn/model_changchun/pubhtml/print.jsp?ID=110112000000000000,103 |
| 1995-1996 winter | r Yancheng, Jiangsu | More than 20 poisoned and 7 died | Ma (1999) |
| 1996 winter | Xiazhen, Kenli County, Dongying, Shangdong | 3 poisoned and died | Lü et al. (1998) |
| 1997 | Panjin, Liaoning | 1 poisoned and died | Cai Wenqing (2002). http://www.people.com.cn/GB/kejiao/42/152/20020313/686467.html |
| 30 Nov 1998 | Yancheng, Jiangsu | 3 poisoned and died | http://www.gmw.cn/01shsb/1998-12/25/GB/839%5eSH10-207.HTM |
| 12 Dec 1998 | Yancheng, Jiangsu | 3 poisoned and survived | http://www.gmw.cn/01shsb/1998-12/25/GB/839%5eSH10-207.HTM |
| 1999 | Panjin, Liaoning | 1 poisoned and died | Cai Wenqing (2002). http://www.people.com.cn/GB/kejiao/42/152/20020313/686467.html |
| Nov 1999 | Yancheng, Jiangsu | 3 poisoned and died | http://www.envir.gov.cn/info/np/file.asp?file=9911-18123.txt |
| 2000 | Panjin, Liaoning | 4 poisoned, 1 died, 3 survived | Cai Wenqing (2002). http://www.people.com.cn/GB/kejiao/42/152/20020313/686467.html |
| 1999-2000 winter | r Yancheng, Jiangsu | 14 poisoned, 6 survived | Wang (2000) |
| 15 Mar 2000 | Shuangliao Power Plant | 1 poisoned and survived | Lin (2005) |
| 22 Mar 2001 | Daban, Mantanghong, Zhangwu County, Liaoning. | 4 poisoned and survived | Wang Hongguang (2001). http://newspaper.lndaily.com.cn/lnrb/200104/3/sxxw4.htm |
| 29 Oct 2001 | Qianqu, Tuanjie, Tongyu County, Jilin | 1 poisoned and survived | Lin (2005) |
| Mar 2002 | Yancheng, Jiangsu | 3 poisoned and died; 1 injured | http://www.people.com.cn/GB/huanbao/259/7871/7872/20020324/693876.htmlhttp://www.china.com.cn/chinese/kuaixun/186529.htm |
| 13 Mar 2002 | Panzhuangzi, Xiangshuigu, Jinnan District, Tianjin | 1 poisoned and survived | Sun Yusong and Wang Jing (2002). http://www.chinapet.net/news/516.html |
| Late Mar 2002 | Zhanyu, Tongyu County, Jilin | 6 poisoned and survived(from 5 different instances at fivelocations) | Lin (2005) |
| 30 Mar 2002 | Cheli, Taonan, Jilin | 1 poisoned and died | Lin (2005) |
| 19 Apr 2002 | Xianghai, Jilin | 7 poisoned, 3 died and 4 survived | Wei Jing and Qi Haishan (2002). http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2002-04/19/content_365025.htm |
| 19 Oct 2002 | Tongfa, Tongyu County, Jilin | 2 poisoned and died | Lin (2005) |
| 19 Nov 2003 | Siping, Bamian, Tongyu County, Jilin | 1 poisoned and died | Lin (2005) |
| 2004-11-24 | Haifeng Farm, Dafeng City, Jiangsu | 1 poisoned and survived | Fang and Ji (2005) |
| Mar 2005 | Panjin, Liaoning | 2 poisoned and survived | http://env.people.com.cn/GB/1074/3292068.html |
| 24 Jan 2006 | Yancheng, Jiangsu | 1 poisoned and survived | Wang Guoqiang (2006). http://www.jsjy.gov.cn/zwgk/html/2006-07/2022.html |
| 21 Jun 2006 | Huletai, Keerqin Zuohou Qi, Tongliao, Inner Mongolia | 1 poisoned and survived | Wen Wei and Zhang Yuping (2006). http://news.sina.com.cn/s/2006-06-21/09349259667s.shtml |
| 16 Oct 2006 | Dongliu Village, Liminju Township, Hejian City, Hebei | 3 poisoned | Dai Qing and Liu Shupeng (2006). http://bbs.tt365.net.cn/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=29422 |
| 2006-2007 winter | Yancheng, Jiangsu | 7 poisoned, 2 died and 5 survived | Wang (2007) |
| Apr 2008 | Panjin, Liaoning | 17 poisoned and died | Wang Hui (2008). http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2008-04-04/081815291412.shtml |
| 2008-2009 winter | Yancheng, Jiangsu | 7 poisoned and died | Yan Ke (2010). http://jsnews.jschina.com.cn/yc/201001/t298981.shtml |
| 2 Apr 2009 | Xiaohexi, Daleng Xiang, Zhangwu County, Liaoning | 2 poisoned and survived | http://www.forestry.gov.cn/portal/sbj/s/2654/content-416556.html |
| 21 Mar 2010 | Panjin, Liaoning | 1 poisoned and survived | Xu Gang (2011). http://news.syd.com.cn/content/2011-03/24/content_25487167.htm |
| 14 Jan 2010 | Lianyungang, Jiangsu | 1 poisoned | Jiang Hanchao (2001). http://www.ycnews.cn/News/2010-01/16/content_115512.htm |
| 28 Mar 2011 | Kangping, Liaoning | 1 poisoned and survived | Fu Guiming (2011). http://news.sohu.com/20110331/n280068045.shtml |
| 15 Nov 2011 | Fumeng County, Liaoning | 1 hit power line | Fumeng Police (2011). http://gaj.fuxin.gov.cn/gaj/gzdt/2011/11/18/179220.html |
| 31 Mar 2011 | Zhangwu, Liaoning | 1 poisoned and recovered and released | Zhou Haixiang (2011). http://user.qzone.qq.com/172449471?ptlang=2052&ADUIN=956063783&ADSESSION=1344415668&ADTAG=CLIENT.QQ.4735_FriendTip_QzoneFolder.0#!app=2&via=QZ.HashRefresh&pos=1301907495 |
| 30 Apr 2012 | Tumuji, Zhalaite Qi, Inner Mongolia | 1 poisoned and died | Cheng Yachang |
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Figures(5) / Tables(2)
| Sites | Period | Wetland loss (%) | Reasons for loss | Source |
| Small Sangjiang Plain (northeast corner of the Sanjiang Plain) | 1976–2005 | 69.43 | Reclaiming for farming | Zhang et al. (2009) |
| Naoli River Basin | 1950–2000 | 87.30 | Reclaiming for farming | Liu et al. (2005) |
| Bielahong River Basin | 1950–2000 | 75.28 | Reclaiming for farming | Liu et al. (2005) |
| Zhalong | 1979–2008 | 10.40 | Water projects | Zhang et al. (2008) |
| Xianghai | 1984–2004 | 13.10 | Lack of water, irrigation | Ren et al. (2007) |
| Panjin | 1989–1994 | 18.34 | Oil exploration | Hu et al. (2004) |
| Panjin | 1994–1998 | 18.73 | Oil exploration | Hu et al. (2004) |
| Yellow River Delta | 1986–2001 | 27.02 | Oil exploration | Shu et al. (2004) |
| Dazong Lake | 1980s–2000 | 100.00 | Aquaculture, diking | Lü et al. (2000) |
| Yancheng | 1987–2007 | 53.20 | Aquaculture, diking, building port | Sun and Liu (2010) |
| Yancheng | 1988–2006 | 53.81–66.91 | Aquaculture, diking, farming | Ke et al. (2011) |
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| Date | Location | Description | Source |
| 1990-1991 winter | Haifeng Farm, Dafeng County, Jiangsu | 4 poisoned and died | Yan Ke, http://jsnews.jschina.com.cn/yc/201001/t298981.shtml |
| Nov 1991 | south of Wanggan, Dafeng County, Jiangsu | 12 poisoned and died | Yan Ke, http://jsnews.jschina.com.cn/yc/201001/t298981.shtml |
| 13 Sep 1995 | Xianghai, Jilin | 1 poisoned and survived | http://2007.changchun.gov.cn/model_changchun/pubhtml/print.jsp?ID=110112000000000000,103 |
| 1995-1996 winter | r Yancheng, Jiangsu | More than 20 poisoned and 7 died | Ma (1999) |
| 1996 winter | Xiazhen, Kenli County, Dongying, Shangdong | 3 poisoned and died | Lü et al. (1998) |
| 1997 | Panjin, Liaoning | 1 poisoned and died | Cai Wenqing (2002). http://www.people.com.cn/GB/kejiao/42/152/20020313/686467.html |
| 30 Nov 1998 | Yancheng, Jiangsu | 3 poisoned and died | http://www.gmw.cn/01shsb/1998-12/25/GB/839%5eSH10-207.HTM |
| 12 Dec 1998 | Yancheng, Jiangsu | 3 poisoned and survived | http://www.gmw.cn/01shsb/1998-12/25/GB/839%5eSH10-207.HTM |
| 1999 | Panjin, Liaoning | 1 poisoned and died | Cai Wenqing (2002). http://www.people.com.cn/GB/kejiao/42/152/20020313/686467.html |
| Nov 1999 | Yancheng, Jiangsu | 3 poisoned and died | http://www.envir.gov.cn/info/np/file.asp?file=9911-18123.txt |
| 2000 | Panjin, Liaoning | 4 poisoned, 1 died, 3 survived | Cai Wenqing (2002). http://www.people.com.cn/GB/kejiao/42/152/20020313/686467.html |
| 1999-2000 winter | r Yancheng, Jiangsu | 14 poisoned, 6 survived | Wang (2000) |
| 15 Mar 2000 | Shuangliao Power Plant | 1 poisoned and survived | Lin (2005) |
| 22 Mar 2001 | Daban, Mantanghong, Zhangwu County, Liaoning. | 4 poisoned and survived | Wang Hongguang (2001). http://newspaper.lndaily.com.cn/lnrb/200104/3/sxxw4.htm |
| 29 Oct 2001 | Qianqu, Tuanjie, Tongyu County, Jilin | 1 poisoned and survived | Lin (2005) |
| Mar 2002 | Yancheng, Jiangsu | 3 poisoned and died; 1 injured | http://www.people.com.cn/GB/huanbao/259/7871/7872/20020324/693876.htmlhttp://www.china.com.cn/chinese/kuaixun/186529.htm |
| 13 Mar 2002 | Panzhuangzi, Xiangshuigu, Jinnan District, Tianjin | 1 poisoned and survived | Sun Yusong and Wang Jing (2002). http://www.chinapet.net/news/516.html |
| Late Mar 2002 | Zhanyu, Tongyu County, Jilin | 6 poisoned and survived(from 5 different instances at fivelocations) | Lin (2005) |
| 30 Mar 2002 | Cheli, Taonan, Jilin | 1 poisoned and died | Lin (2005) |
| 19 Apr 2002 | Xianghai, Jilin | 7 poisoned, 3 died and 4 survived | Wei Jing and Qi Haishan (2002). http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2002-04/19/content_365025.htm |
| 19 Oct 2002 | Tongfa, Tongyu County, Jilin | 2 poisoned and died | Lin (2005) |
| 19 Nov 2003 | Siping, Bamian, Tongyu County, Jilin | 1 poisoned and died | Lin (2005) |
| 2004-11-24 | Haifeng Farm, Dafeng City, Jiangsu | 1 poisoned and survived | Fang and Ji (2005) |
| Mar 2005 | Panjin, Liaoning | 2 poisoned and survived | http://env.people.com.cn/GB/1074/3292068.html |
| 24 Jan 2006 | Yancheng, Jiangsu | 1 poisoned and survived | Wang Guoqiang (2006). http://www.jsjy.gov.cn/zwgk/html/2006-07/2022.html |
| 21 Jun 2006 | Huletai, Keerqin Zuohou Qi, Tongliao, Inner Mongolia | 1 poisoned and survived | Wen Wei and Zhang Yuping (2006). http://news.sina.com.cn/s/2006-06-21/09349259667s.shtml |
| 16 Oct 2006 | Dongliu Village, Liminju Township, Hejian City, Hebei | 3 poisoned | Dai Qing and Liu Shupeng (2006). http://bbs.tt365.net.cn/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=29422 |
| 2006-2007 winter | Yancheng, Jiangsu | 7 poisoned, 2 died and 5 survived | Wang (2007) |
| Apr 2008 | Panjin, Liaoning | 17 poisoned and died | Wang Hui (2008). http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2008-04-04/081815291412.shtml |
| 2008-2009 winter | Yancheng, Jiangsu | 7 poisoned and died | Yan Ke (2010). http://jsnews.jschina.com.cn/yc/201001/t298981.shtml |
| 2 Apr 2009 | Xiaohexi, Daleng Xiang, Zhangwu County, Liaoning | 2 poisoned and survived | http://www.forestry.gov.cn/portal/sbj/s/2654/content-416556.html |
| 21 Mar 2010 | Panjin, Liaoning | 1 poisoned and survived | Xu Gang (2011). http://news.syd.com.cn/content/2011-03/24/content_25487167.htm |
| 14 Jan 2010 | Lianyungang, Jiangsu | 1 poisoned | Jiang Hanchao (2001). http://www.ycnews.cn/News/2010-01/16/content_115512.htm |
| 28 Mar 2011 | Kangping, Liaoning | 1 poisoned and survived | Fu Guiming (2011). http://news.sohu.com/20110331/n280068045.shtml |
| 15 Nov 2011 | Fumeng County, Liaoning | 1 hit power line | Fumeng Police (2011). http://gaj.fuxin.gov.cn/gaj/gzdt/2011/11/18/179220.html |
| 31 Mar 2011 | Zhangwu, Liaoning | 1 poisoned and recovered and released | Zhou Haixiang (2011). http://user.qzone.qq.com/172449471?ptlang=2052&ADUIN=956063783&ADSESSION=1344415668&ADTAG=CLIENT.QQ.4735_FriendTip_QzoneFolder.0#!app=2&via=QZ.HashRefresh&pos=1301907495 |
| 30 Apr 2012 | Tumuji, Zhalaite Qi, Inner Mongolia | 1 poisoned and died | Cheng Yachang |
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