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CRANES OF ASIA: MURAVIOVKA PARK
Cranes of Asia is working to save:
Red crowned Crane (Grus japonensis)
Estimated population is 2,700 and decreasing. 1,800 migratory birds breed in Far Eastern Russia and North-Eastern China. Muraviovka Park is one of its few remaining breeding and stop-over areas. International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listing is Endangered.
Hooded Crane (Grus monacha)
Estimated population is 9,500 and stable. Non-breeding flocks occur within the Russia-Mongolia-China border region. Muraviovka Park is one of its few important stop-over areas. 100% of the population that use the park as a roosting site feed outside of protected areas. IUCN listing is Vulnerable.
Oriental White Stork (Ciconia boyciana)
Estimated population is 3,000 with significant declines in breeding birds reported in Russia. The main wintering grounds are in the lower Yangtze basin and southern China. Muraviovka Park is one of the key nesting areas, up to 12 nests annually. IUCN listing is Endangered.
Habitat
Muraviovka Park. Established in part to protect the diminishing wetlands of the Russian Far East, the park consists of approximately 5,970 hectares (14,752 acres) of wetlands with sedges, reeds, grasslands and scattered trees and bushes, and 700 hectares (1,730 acres) of adjacent crop fields. The entire project area is 40% wetlands, 49% grasslands, 1% forest, and 10% agriculture or human habitation.
Critical threats to wildlife
- Long-term drought in the protected area
- Fires that eliminate the dead grass necessary for nest camouflage
- Predators and competitors due to the growing impact of the drought and fires
- Disturbance by spring hunting on waterfowl
- Collisions with power lines
- Use of pesticides and herbicides
GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM THE FIELD
Dr. Sergei Smirenski, right, is founder of the Muraviovka Park for Sustainable Land Use and the Cranes of Asia project. Here he helps control brush fires from agriculture burns that threaten crane nesting areas.
White naped cranes (above) and red crowned cranes (below, with young) are two of several species of cranes and other avian species that use the grounds of Muraviovka Park in Eastern Russia.
Muraviovka Park for Sustainable Land Use in the Russian Far East is used as breeding grounds for several crane species, often putting them in direct conflict with farmers and resident who use the plains for agriculture.