JOURNAL OF NANJING FORESTRY UNIVERSITY ›› 2021, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (6): 200-208.doi: 10.12302/j.issn.1000-2006.202012013

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Distribution changes and in situ conservation of red-crowned cranes(Grus japonensis) in China since 1976

LIN Yuanfeng1(), LU Changhu1,*(), XU Peng1, CUI Peng2, ZHANG Wenwen2   

  1. 1. College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
    2. Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing 210042, China
  • Received:2020-12-07 Accepted:2021-07-30 Online:2021-11-30 Published:2021-12-02
  • Contact: LU Changhu E-mail:1769751961@qq.com;luchanghu@njfu.com.cn

Abstract:

【Objective】 The distribution range of the red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis) across China over the past 40 years has been collected to explore the current situation of the in situ conservation of red-crowned cranes in China and to analyze possible reasons for the change in the red-crowned crane distribution over a long time. This research provides a relevant theoretical basis for the conservation of red-crowned cranes as well as research on red-crowned cranes in the future.【Method】 The distribution of red-crowned cranes in China was first recorded in the “Checklist on the distribution of the birds of China” in 1976. Based on this report, a combination of methods, including a literature search (published and unpublished documents) and department consultations, was used to systematically collect the distribution data of red-crowned cranes in China and classify that data chronologically. The spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of the reproduction and wintering range of red-crowned cranes were analyzed, and the in situ conservation efficacy of red-crowned crane nature reserves in different time periods was compared.【Result】 The research reveals a gradual distribution expansion of red-crowned cranes since 1976 that is currently found in new areas in many provinces and regions of China. By 2019, the distribution of red-crowned cranes was recorded in 119 nature reserves across 16 provinces and regions in China. This caused a change in the boundaries of their reproduction and wintering range. The red-crowned cranes are widely distributed in eastern China but are now centralized in nature reserves where breeding sites for red-crowned cranes are located. The red-crowned cranes used to winter in many places in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China but now winter in three main areas: the Yancheng Wetland Rare Birds National Nature Reserve, the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, and the Liaohekou National Nature Reserve. Currently, a total of 57 red-crowned crane nature reserves have been established across China, of which 52.6%, 31.6% and 15.6% are national-level, provincial-level, and city-level (including county-level), respectively.【Conclusion】 The distribution area of the red-crowned crane population in China has changed greatly over the past 40 years since it was first recorded in 1976. It is speculated that human disturbances and changes in the natural climate are the main reasons for the distribution change of red-crowned cranes; at the same time, the management of nature reserves and some additional incidents may also have affected the distribution of red-crowned cranes.

Key words: red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis), natural reserve, spatio-temporal distribution, in situ conservation

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