Population and conservation threats to the vulnerable Sarus crane Grus antigone in Nepal

• Published in: Ecology and evolution Vol. 14; no. 2; pp. e10929 - n/a
• Main Authors: Sharma, Hari Prasad, Katuwal, Hem Bahadur, Regmi, Sandeep, Suwal, Rajendra Narsingh, Acharya, Rashmi, Nepali, Amrit, KC, Sabin, Aryal, Bishnu, Tamang, Krishna, Rawal, Basudha, Basnet, Amir, Baral, Bashu Dev, Devkota, Surya, Parajuli, Sagar, Regmi, Niraj, Kandel, Pradip, Subedi, Bishal, Giri, Hari Sharan, Kawan, Samjhana, Thapa, Gokarna Jung, Bhattarai, Bishnu Prasad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.02.2024; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Agricultural ecosystems; Agricultural land; Anthropogenic factors; Aquatic birds; Aquatic ecosystems; Biodiversity; Birds; Breeding seasons; Climate change; Collision mortality; Conservation; Conservation Ecology; Dry season; electrocution and collision; Electrocutions; Environmental policy; farmland; Foraging behavior; Grus antigone; Habitat loss; Habitats; Human influences; Introduced species; Invasive species; Land use; Polls & surveys; population; Population status; Populations; Reptiles & amphibians; roosting site; transboundary conservation; Waterfowl; wetland; Wetland agriculture; Wetland protection; Wetlands; Zoology; Nepal; India; South Asia; electrocution and collision; wetland; transboundary conservation; roosting site; farmland; population
• ISSN: 2045-7758; 2045-7758
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10929

Globally, biodiversity is declining due to habitat loss and degradation, over‐exploitation, climate change, invasive species, pollution, and infrastructure development. These threats affect the populations of large waterbird species, such as Sarus crane (Grus antigone), which inhabits agricultural–wetland ecosystems. Despite the burgeoning built‐up areas and diminishing agricultural and wetland spaces, scant research investigates the impact of these changing land uses on the globally vulnerable Sarus crane in Nepal. During the pre‐breeding season from April to June 2023, our comprehensive study meticulously scrutinized Sarus crane population status and factors associated with the occurrences and conservation challenges across 10 specific districts of Nepal. Our study documented a total of 690 individuals of Sarus cranes in five districts. The Lumbini Province has 685 individuals, occupying 11 roosting sites. Conversely, the remaining five districts have no Sarus cranes presence during this period. Wetland, farmland and built‐up areas exhibited a significantly positive influence on Sarus crane occurrences in the Lumbini Province. Additionally, we recorded 47 fatalities of Sarus cranes over the past 13 years in the Lumbini Province due to electrocution and collisions. Our study provides a baseline dataset crucial for developing conservation policies, particularly during the dry season when Sarus crane populations tend to congregate in larger flocks. The adaptation of the Sarus crane to urbanized landscapes exposes them to several anthropogenic threats in the coming days. Therefore, protecting wetlands and farmland areas and adopting transboundary conservation approaches are imperative for the long‐term conservation of the Sarus crane and its habitat. The first record of the population status of Sarus crane can be used as a baseline data for developing a management plan.