why are siberian cranes endangered?
Would you spend a winter in Siberia if you could fly south?
The traditional migratory and wintering habitats of this species are under constant pressure from the demands of the growing human population. These include: agricultural development, wetland drainage, oil exploration, hunting, and water development projects. The western population is primarily threatened by hunting whereas the eastern population is at risk from loss of wetland habitat.
The status of this crane is critical, as it is expected to undergo a rapid population decline in the near future. The wintering site in China holding 95% of the population is threatened by hydrological changes caused by the Three Gorges Dam.
Wetland loss means Siberian Crane loses ground Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus is now listed as Critically Endangered, having previously been listed as Endangered in 1994. Its population is estimated to be 2,500-3,000 and comprises three separate populations. The western population breeds in western Siberia and winters in Iran, and the central population breeds in western Siberia and winters in India. Both the western and central populations are on the verge of extinction as a result of habitat loss and hunting. The much larger eastern population breeds in eastern Siberia and winters in the lower Yangtze basin in south-east China. The main threats to this population are wetland destruction and degradation at staging areas and wintering sites caused by agricultural development and the development of oil fields. The main wintering site in China, Poyang Lake in Jiangxi Province, holds 95% of the global population but is potentially threatened by future hydrological changes resulting from the construction of the Three Gorges Dam and other dams. If the operation of these dams prevents the development of suitable winter feeding conditions for waterbirds at Poyang Lake and other wetlands, Siberian Crane and other threatened species could undergo extremely rapid population declines in the near future.
