Context:

The Wildlife Institute of India and the Zoological Survey of India have been carrying out assessments of the black necked cranes. 

Black Necked Crane (Grus nigricollis): Habitat & Distribution

• Range Countries: India, China and Bhutan. 
  • In winter, they are found at lower altitudes. A small wintering population is also found in the Sangti and Zimithang valleys of Arunachal Pradesh.

• Breeding Ground: High altitude marshes and lakes of Tibetan Plateau (Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Gansu), Sichuan (China), and eastern Ladakh (India).
  • The high altitude wetlands in the Tibetan plateau are the main breeding ground. 

Protection Status Black Necked Crane

• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
• CITES and the Convention on conservation of Migratory Species: Appendix I
• IUCN Red List: Near Threatened (NT).
• Significance: These are revered by the Monpas Community, a major Buddhist ethnic group of Arunachal Pradesh as an embodiment of the sixth Dalai Lama.

Black Necked Crane: Conservation Issues

• Damage to the eggs and chicks, caused by feral dogs, owned both by armed forces as well as by the local nomads.
• The Loss of habitat and Increased human pressure on the wetlands leads to decline in species. 

World Wide Fund for Nature-India’s (WWF-India’s) Initiatives:

• WWF-India in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife Protection, Jammu & Kashmir, has been working towards conservation of high altitude wetlands, with black-necked cranes as a priority species in Ladakh region and  Arunachal Pradesh.

Steps taken for Black Necked Crane Protection 

• Designation as Protected Area: The important habitats of Black-necked Crane have been notified as Protected Areas. Example: Changthang Sanctuary, Ladakh.
  • In accordance with provisions contained under Section 33 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, the guidelines have been issued for the process of management planning for Protected Areas.

News Source: Global Green News