{"id":347214,"date":"2025-12-16T18:35:53","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T18:35:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/uncategorized\/how-farmers-helped-revive-a-species\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T18:35:53","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T18:35:53","slug":"how-farmers-helped-revive-a-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=347214","title":{"rendered":"How Farmers Helped Revive a Species"},"content":{"rendered":"


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It wouldn\u2019t be a stretch to say that the sarus cranes breeding in the wetlands of Pragpur village in Maharajganj district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh recognise farmer Rampreet\u2019s melodies. For years, he\u2019s protected the birds by keeping a close check on them, their nests, eggs, and chicks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This mindset shift is commendable for Rampreet, who hails from a farming community that once viewed the sarus cranes as \u201cpests\u201d that caused a nuisance to their wheat and paddy.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not the bird\u2019s fault. As wetlands have been widely drained or \u2018reclaimed\u2019 for agriculture and infrastructure, the birds have been pushed onto flooded croplands that mimic their natural habitat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over 95 percent of wetlands in Uttar Pradesh<\/a> fall outside protected areas, and except for a handful, none of them have even been notified as wetlands under the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017. But the sarus cranes are adept at seeking out home.<\/span><\/p>\n

And how does Rampreet identify them?<\/span><\/p>\n

The birds are unmistakable with their grey plumage, long pink legs, and red head and upper neck, a stark contrast against the bright green of the wetlands. They are said to be the world’s tallest birds, reaching up to 152-156 cm in height.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The
The sarus crane is the state bird of Uttar Pradesh<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Declared the state bird of Uttar Pradesh, and India\u2019s only resident breeding crane, the bird\u2019s declining population \u2014 the current population size is estimated at 15,000\u201320,000 mature individuals \u2014 set alarm bells ringing, compelling the Wildlife Trust of India to\u00a0formulate a plan for the bird\u2019s protection<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Professor B C Choudhury, senior advisor at Wildlife Trust of India and principal investigator of the \u2018Sarus Habitat Securement Project\u2019, underscores in a documentary, <\/span>Where the Sarus Sings<\/em>, \u201cIf you declare a bird as a state bird, you need to do something for it. The fact that the sarus crane only lives outside protected areas, in the agricultural landscape, makes it mandatory for us to think of a novel plan by which we can take care of it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The most plausible explanation for the decline in numbers and shrinkage in their distribution seemed to be the destruction of the bird\u2019s wetland habitat for infrastructure development and agricultural purposes, so much so that the bird was classified as \u2018vulnerable\u2019 by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The
The sarus mitras measuring the nest diameters at nesting sites<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As professor Choudhury explains, the sarus cranes are also caught in the crosshairs of\u00a0changing cropping patterns<\/a>. \u201cThe best population of sarus crane was in the Terai belt (stretching from Nepal\u2019s Bagmati River in the East to India\u2019s Yamuna River in the West). But, Terai, from a multi-species grass-dominated landscape, has become a single grass species landscape with sugarcane.\u201d This, he reasons, has wedged out sarus crane habitats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where the sarus sings<\/span><\/h2>\n

Currently, approximately 100 water bodies in the 10 project districts in Eastern Uttar Pradesh have been identified as sarus-occupied wetlands. This is a breath of hope for the eastern part of the state, where spotting the bird was once tough.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a testament to the success of the Sarus Habitat Securement Project \u2014 an endeavour by Wildlife Trust of India in partnership with the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and supported by Tata Trusts and World Land Trust.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project spans 10 districts, mobilising the farmers towards wetland conservation<\/a> by way of creating management committees that promote locals to stewards for the birds\u2019 protection.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
A sarus crane with its chick<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Having led the project since 2013, Arshad Hussain from Wildlife Trust of India, says the goal was to show people how special the bird is. For the initial two years, Arshad focused on getting the lay of the land and understanding the birds\u2019 patterns and habits. Only once he was familiar with this, he proceeded to heal the relationship between the birds and the farmers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing we did was to sit down with the farmers in the region and understand their views of the bird. They asked us, \u2018But why should we protect the sarus crane, when it destroys my paddy?\u2019 Then we made them understand that protecting the bird<\/a> wouldn\u2019t just benefit it, but also them. We pointed out how the bird, while foraging through the soil, loosens the mud and how this increases the aerability of the soil. We explained how the sarus crane eats insects that would otherwise harm their crops and flowers, and prevent pollination.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As Arshad would often reason with the farmers, \u201cThink of it this way:\u00a0 When you are choosing a location to build your home, you would always pick the area that had all available resources, right? So when the sarus crane is choosing your field to nest, it\u2019s an indicator that the field is a good ecosystem.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n