Population Status and Habitat Suitability of Sarus Carane

Abstract

The Sarus Crane (Antigone antigone) is listed as “vulnerable” in the Red List of Threatened Species by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Sarus Cranes are distributed in the lowlands from Chitwan to Kanchanpur Districts of Nepal. Most of them are recorded from the outside of protected areas, especially in farmlands and wetlands of Terai region. The continued expansion of agricultural land and the loss of natural wetlands habitats are the most serious threats to the species. Present study was carried out to access the population status and habitat suitability of Sarus Crane in Banke District. The study was conducted from 1 November 2015 to 30th January 2016. Direct observation through trial transects survey methods were used to estimate the population status of Sarus crane. Geographic parameters of sighting points were recorded for determining habitat suitability. The conservation threats were analyzed by field, questionnaire surveys. The study areas contained 51 Sarus Cranes out of which 48 were adult and eight were chick. The Sarus Cranes were found to use all habitats viz. farmlands, wetlands, grasslands. Farmlands and wetlands areas contained the highest number of Sarus Crane but preferred more farmlands for foraging followed by wetlands and grasslands. The frequency of the Sarus Cranes was highest in farmlands (62.74%), followed by wetlands (31.37%), and grasslands (5.88%). The Sarus Cranes facing threats such as drying of wetlands, expansion of agricultural land, conversion of wetlands, over exploitation of wetlands, poaching, along with developmental activity, chemical fertilizer and disturbance in foraging and nesting place. Increasing awareness about conservation to local people, encourage the use of biological control methods and organic forming instead of chemical fertilizer and insecticides pesticides, protection and restoration of wetland, further research, establishment of Crane conservation area and continuous population monitoring are some of the ways to save the Crane in Banke District.