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Evidence of the effectiveness of conservation interventions from long-term aerial monitoring of three crane species in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2022

TAMSYN GALLOWAY-GRIESEL*
Affiliation:
Endangered Wildlife Trust, Midrand, South Africa.
LIZANNE ROXBURGH
Affiliation:
Endangered Wildlife Trust, Midrand, South Africa.
TANYA SMITH
Affiliation:
Endangered Wildlife Trust, Midrand, South Africa. International Crane Foundation, Baraboo, Wisconsin, USA.
KEVIN MCCANN
Affiliation:
Conservation Outcomes.
BRENT COVERDALE
Affiliation:
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
JOHN CRAIGIE
Affiliation:
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
MATTHEUNS PRETORIUS
Affiliation:
Endangered Wildlife Trust, Midrand, South Africa.
SAMANTHA NICHOLSON
Affiliation:
Endangered Wildlife Trust, Midrand, South Africa.
MICHAEL MICHAEL
Affiliation:
Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.
KAAJIAL DURGAPERSAD
Affiliation:
Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.
KISHAYLIN CHETTY
Affiliation:
Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.
*
*Author for correspondence; email: tamsyng@ewt.org.za

Summary

Monitoring population trends is important for evaluating the effectiveness of conservation interventions. An annual aerial census of three crane species, the Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum, Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus and Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus, was performed in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa over the past 23 years. These crane species are listed as ‘Endangered’, ‘Vulnerable’, and ‘Vulnerable’, respectively, on the IUCN Red List. KwaZulu-Natal was chosen as a key site for monitoring as it covers an important region for cranes that has received concerted conservation effort since the 1980s. These annual surveys are conducted by Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife, a provincial conservation agency, and the Endangered Wildlife Trust, a conservation non-profit organisation. We estimated crane population trends from data collected by means of standardised surveys conducted between 2003 and 2019. Results from the surveys show a steady and significant increase in the population size of all three crane species. Interventions including power line collision mitigation and engagement with landowners have been implemented in formal conservation programs to protect these cranes. Results from the annual census suggest that conservation interventions have been effective.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of BirdLife International

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