International Black-necked Crane Conservation Network Meeting

Day one:

The first day of the two-day International Black-necked Crane (BNC) Conservation Network Meeting happening in Thimphu ended well with a series of knowledge dissemination carried out by researchers of different nations.

The event was graced by the Hon’ble Minister of Agriculture and Forests and Dasho Paljor J. Dorji (Special Advisor to the National Environment Commission Secretariat). The networking meeting is attended by international experts from five countries and relevant national environmental conservation stakeholders and academicians engaged in the study and management of Black-necked Cranes and their habitats.

The objectives of the meeting are:

1. Provide a platform for experts of partner institutions to make presentations on the status of BNC and learn from each other about country-specific conservation and development.
2. Propose Black-necked Crane as a flagship species for cooperation for the Central Asian Flyway and identify cooperation mechanisms.
3. Explore expanding the BNC Network to encourage participation by all range states.
4. Promote BNC as a symbol of high-altitude habitats in Asia.
5. Share information on challenges and opportunities.

The meeting is expected to identify important BNC sites, conserved and properly managed at the landscape level with an effective network established. Day one highlighted the knowledge-sharing presentations, conservation actions, and future collaborative actions.

Background:

The Black-necked Crane is the only alpine crane species in the world. Its distribution spreads over different areas in China, Bhutan, and India. Generally, land use change and the loss of wetland habitats are identified as the main threats the species continue to face today.

While there have been little to no transboundary collaborative conservation programs, conservation efforts in the three Range States are important and timely. In many respects, effective results can be achieved through cooperation between the states and civil society actors.

In Bhutan, the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature (RSPN) has a government mandate for the protection of the species and has been working closely with the International Crane Foundation, NABU International, and Crane Conservation Germany.
During the Convention on Migratory Species COP13, held in India, representatives from the range states and international partners of BNC conservation organized a side event to discuss conservation issues related to BNC and requirements for intensified cooperation. The group presented conservation actions in place in each of the range states as well as conservation strategies which require cross-border cooperation. Therefore, this meeting aims to foster international cooperation and maintenance of habitats for the Black-necked Cranes in all its range states.

This meeting is expected to achieve a global action plan for conserving the BNC and the importing sites.
‘The meeting is supported by ICF and Federal Ministry for the environment, nature conservation, nuclear safety and consumer protection (BMUV).