Arunachal Pradesh’s border district of Tawang celebrates the arrival of sacred black-headed cranes to their winter grounds.
Tawang’s Pangcheng valley along the Nyamjang Chhu River is their winter abode.
Context
Arunachal Pradesh’s border district of Tawang celebrates the arrival of sacred black-headed cranes to their winter grounds.
Tawang’s Pangcheng valley along the Nyamjang Chhu River is their winter abode.
About
Black necked crane
It is a medium-sized craneof Asia that breeds on the Tibetan Plateau and remote parts of India and Bhutan.
It is revered in Buddhist traditions and culturally protected across much of its range.
A festival in Bhutan celebrates the bird while the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir considers it as the state bird.
Distribution and Habitat-
The crane breeds and winters in Xinjang, Tibet, Qinghai and Sichuan in China and Jammu & Kashmir in India.
In Yunnan, Guizhou, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh, it only comes during the winters.
In Arunachal Pradesh, the bird winters in three areas: the Sangti valley in West Kameng district, and Zemithang and the Chug valley in Tawang district.
The cranes usually arrive in all three areas in late October or early November, and depart in late March or early April.
The largest populations are in China with smaller numbers extending into Vietnam, Bhutan and India.
Protection-
The bird is protected under Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and is in the ‘vulnerable category’ of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources(IUCN)
It is listed in Appendix I of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES) also known as the Washington Convention.
Threat-
Habitat modification, drying of lakes and agriculture are threats to the populations.
In many areas, dogs belonging to herders are a major threat to young birds.
Power lines has been another cause of mortality in some areas.
The drying of wetlands can cause increased accessibility of the nests leading to predation while a rise in the water level can submerge nests.
The problems are most serious in the wintering areas, where wetlands are extensively affected by human activity including irrigation, dam construction, draining, and grazing pressure.
In Tibet, widespread changes in traditional agricultural practices have reduced the availability of waste barley and spring wheat.
Measures or Safeguards-
Supporting pilot projects to reduce degradation around key wetlands through alternative livelihoods and agriculture practices.
Undertaking long-term monitoring of selected breeding areas to assess the impacts of climate change on cranes and key wetlands, and to develop measures for adaptation to climate change.
Strengthening environmental education efforts and community awareness.