The Cranes IUCN

DMZ now functions as a de facto protected area. Armed conflict
in this area would be disastrous for cranes and other forms
of wildlife that find refuge there. If, on the other hand, North
and South Korea unite (and unless special measures are taken),
the area is likely to be developed rapidly and to disappear as a
crane wintering area (see the White-naped Crane species
account in this volume). Other problems in South Korea include
human disturbance of cranes, ineffective environmental
protection policies, increasing land use pressures on cranes,
and lack of professional experience in wildlife management
(Pae and Won 1994, Halvorson and Kaliher 1995).
Flint and Smirenski (1978), Borodin et al. (1984), and
Andronov (1988) report that drainage of wetlands, agricultural
fires, and cattle grazing have reduced the species' nesting habitat
in Russia. About 40% of Red-crowned chicks in Russia fail to
fledge; combined with the inability of some pairs to find suitable
nest sites because of human activities, this may explain the
very low proportion (1-3%) of juveniles in the South Korean
wintering population (Smirenski 1988). Large scale threats are
of immediate concern in the Amur basin. Seven dams have
been proposed for the Amur River; if built, these would alter
water levels at critical times of the year for wildlife, and would
have harmful effects on the cranes' food base (Smirenski
1992a, Smirenski et al. 1995).
Harassment by people, agricultural fires, and poisoning
from pesticide-treated grain directly harm Red-crowned
Cranes in Russia (Flint and Smirenski 1978, Borodin et al.
1984, Andronov 1988). Hunting of cranes has increased
recently in Russia due to the immigration of people with different
cultural traditions (Smirenski 1992b). In Japan, tourism
and recreational activities pose a threat to the breeding behavior
of the species (H. Masatomi pers. comm.). In China, disturbance
of nests after a critical point in the breeding season can
prevent Red-crowned Cranes from renesting successfully (Su
and Zhou n. d.). Egg collecting also occurs in China (G.
Archibald pers. comm.). At least 17 Red-crowned Cranes have
recently been poisoned by duck hunters at Yancheng (Wang
1995).
2.15.9 Current Conservation Measures
Note: many of the measures described in this section have
also benefitted the Demoiselle, Siberian, White-naped,
Hooded, and Eurasian Cranes of East Asia.
Legal and Cultural Protection
It is illegal to hunt Red-crowned Cranes in all of the
nations where they normally occur. They are designated as
natural monuments or nationally protected birds in all of the
countries where they breed or winter. Kushiro ECRPT (1993)
provides a thorough review of the laws and international
treaties under which the species is protected in Japan.
International Agreements and Cooperation
The Siberian and White-naped Crane species accounts in
200
this volume describe international agreements and cooperative
ventures that are also relevant to the conservation of the Redcrowned
Crane. China, Japan, and Russia have signed the
Ramsar Convention. Since 1984 these same countries have
cooperated in exchanging information about summer and winter
surveys of Red-crowned Cranes. Dr. Hiroyuki Masatomi
(1985a, 1988), with support from the Wild Bird Society of
Japan and other organizations, has periodically compiled these
data. Japan, China, Russia, and North and South Korea are
cooperating on international radiotelemetry studies for the
Red-crowned and other cranes (e.g., Higuchi 1993; Chong et
al. 1994; Higuchi et al. 1992, 1994b, 1995).
Protected Areas
During the breeding season, wetland reserves in China
support more than 500 Red-Crowned Cranes (Harris 1992a).
These are (from those with the largest breeding populations to
those with the smallest): Zhalong (in Heilongjiang Province),
Shuangtaizi (Liaoning), Xingkai Hu (Heilongjiang), Honghe
(Heilongjiang), Xianghai (Jilin), Keerqin (Inner Mongolia),
Changlindao (Heilongjiang), Watonghe (Heilongjiang),
Chaganhu (Jilin), Momoge (Jilin), Dalainor (Inner Mongolia),
and Dalinor (Inner Mongolia) Nature Reserves (Harris 1992a,
Ma and Li 1994). Reserves have been proposed for the Hui
River area of Inner Mongolia (Ma and Li 1991) and the
Sanjiang Plain in Heilongjiang (Harris 1994c). Russia has
important breeding sites within Lake Khanka, Khinganski, and
Ganukan Nature Reserves (Archibald and Mirande 1985,
Andronov 1988). Other Russian protected areas supporting
Red-crowned Cranes include Ulma, Jashina, Muravienka,
Amursky, Bolon, Urmi, Chauka, Kurilski, Zhuravlini, and
Muraviovka (a private reserve) (Smirenski 1985).
The Tanyang and Huanghe Delta Nature Reserves protect
the migration stopover site at the mouth of the Yellow River in
Shandong Province, China (Ma and Li 1994, J. Harris pers.
comm.). Stopover sites along the Tumen River and in other
areas remain poorly known, and are not protected (Shibaev
and Surmach 1994).
Yancheng Nature Reserve in Jiangsu Province, China, protects
the habitat of the largest wintering subpopulation, which
reached a high of 775 in 1991-92 (Wang 1995). North Korea
has designated four areas—Kangryong, Panmun, Kumya, and
Anbyon—as natural monuments to protect wintering Redcrowned
Cranes (Sonobe 1987, J. R. Chong pers. comm.). The
Choelwon Bird Reserve provides protection for a small portion
of the wintering grounds in South Korea. The Korean
DMZ functions as a protected area due to its relative lack of
intensive economic development.
Portions of the breeding grounds on Hokkaido are designated
Natural Monuments (Kushiro ECRPT 1993, Masatomi
1993b), but much of the habitat remains unprotected. After at
least 17 years of stable breeding numbers at Kushiro Mire,
which is under the strictest protection in Japan (part of the area
was designated a national park in 1987), the number of pairs
increased from 22 to 48 between 1988 and 1992 (Masatomi
1993b). The marsh has also been registered as a Wetland of