A. Sorokin¹ & C.M. Mirande²

1All-Russia Research Institute of Nature Conservation & Reserves, Russian Ministry for Ecology, Znamenskoye-Sadki 142790, Russia, e-mail sibtor@sonnet.ru; ²International Crane Foundation, Baraboo, WI 53913, USA, e-mail cmir.icf@baraboo.com

Sorokin, A. & Mirande, C.M. 1999. A continent wide effort to conserve Siberian Cranes. In: Adams, N.J. & Slotow, R.H. (eds) Proc. 22 Int. Ornithol. Congr., Durban: 2552. Johannesburg: BirdLife South Africa.

The Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus is one of the rarest species of cranes. The populations wintering in India and Iran have experienced precipitous declines and contain less than 25 birds. These populations have been the focus of collaborative international conservation and research efforts for over 25 years. Historic and recent findings are examined and recommendations made for priority conservation actions. Range maps are revised based on reports from literature combined with recent satellite telemetry studies. The biology of the species is reviewed for nesting, wintering, migratory stopover, and juvenile summering areas. Topics covered include distribution, feeding ecology, habitat selection, territoriality, reproductive strategies, chronology, and behaviour. Natural and anthropogenic threats at critical sites are identified. Annual counts of Siberian Cranes arriving at winter sites are used to examine productivity and mortality. International protection includes the IUCN Red Data List (Critically Endangered), Convention on International Trade for Endangered Species (Appendix I), and three international agreements. Most notable is a treaty signed by the range countries under the auspices of the Convention for Migratory Species. Key conservation measures aimed at reducing mortality and bolstering the wild population via releases of captive reared birds are summarised.

Note: Full paper not submitted