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The Wattled Crane (Grus carunculatus) is one of three crane species found in South Africa and the most critically endangered of the six crane species on the African continent (Meine & Archibald 1996). |
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BACKGROUND:
The largest population is found in south-central Africa (Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zaire, Zambia, and Zimbabwe), while two small populations of a few hundred birds remain in Ethiopia and South Africa respectively (Baillie et al., 2004). In 1996 the total Wattled Crane in situ population was estimated between 13,000-15,000 (Meine & Archibald 1996), however more recent surveys utilizing more advanced techniques, now estimate the population at roughly 7,700 individuals (Beilfuss et.al. in press). Historically the species was much more abundant and was widely distributed across Africa from Tanzania to the South-Western Cape (West et al 1976).
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Some of the greatest losses of Wattled Cranes have occurred in South Africa where the species is now IUCN Red Data listed as “Critically Endangered” (Barnes 2000) and facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. Historically Wattled Cranes once flourished throughout South Africa, extending from the northern borders to the western parts of the Cape Province (Brooke& Vernon 1988). However, the population experienced a massive (38%) decline during the period between 1980 and 2000 (McCann 2001). In 2004, a national crane census showed a vastly restricted range with only 235 individuals remaining in a few isolated pockets of the Mpumalanga Highlands and the KwaZulu-Natal midlands. A handful of breeding pairs also remain in the Wakkerstroom region, and the Eastern Cape as well as the north-eastern Free State (McCann 2001). Recent genetic studies suggest that the Wattled Cranes occurring in South Africa are genetically unique to those occurring in other African regions and relevant conservancies now recommend that South African Wattled Cranes be managed as a distinct population (Jones, et al., 2006). South-central and South African populations show differentiation in microsatellite DNA genotypes, as well as mitochondrial DNA (Jones, et al., 2006).
The Wattled Crane is the most wetland-dependent of Africa’s cranes. Consequently, loss and degradation of wetland habitats constitute the most important threats to the species. The decline of the species in South Africa is due mainly to the loss of wetlands to intensified agriculture, dam construction, industrialization, and other pressures. Collisions with power lines and human disturbance at or near breeding sites pose additional threats. These threats are further compounded by a naturally low reproductive potential, the lowest of all crane species (Johnsgard 1983). Concern over the decline of the Wattled Crane in South Africa, and its potential genetic uniqueness, led to a Population and Habitat Viability Assessment (PHVA) workshop held in July 2000(McCann et al 2000 (facilitated by the IUCN’s Conservation Breeding Specialist Group-CBSG), one major outcome of which was the recommendation for a captive breeding and supplementation project. As a result, the Wattled Crane Recovery Programme (WCRP) was formed.
Contact:
Jeanne Marie Pittman
C/o Johannesburg Zoo. Private Bag x13 Parkview, Johannesburg, South Africa 2122
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