Tram Chim National Park restores red-crowned cranes

Dong Thap 100 red-crowned cranes will be raised in Tram Chim National Park for 10 years with the goal of restoring and conserving this rare bird species listed in the world's red book.

On November 3, the People's Committee of Dong Thap province approved the project on Conservation and Development of Red-crowned Cranes. The project aims to restore and develop the red-crowned crane flock in Tram Chim National Park by raising and releasing them back into the wild.

The project is divided into two phases. From 2022 to 2028, Dong Thap will receive 30 six-month-old cranes from Thailand to care for and release them into the wild. In the 2029-2032 period, the province will continue to negotiate with Thailand to receive another 30 six-month-old cranes, and is expected to breed about 40 cranes from the original parent flock.

To develop the red-crowned crane flock, the province built facilities for raising and releasing them into the wild, regulated water and applied measures to serve the red-crowned crane's habitat, converted rice-growing areas to ecological and organic production models. In phase 2, when the red-crowned crane flock increased, Dong Thap advocated increasing the number of households participating (10 households) in eco-tourism - gardening combined with crane watching and activities related to gardening ecology...

The total capital requirement for the project is expected to be 184 billion VND, taken from the central and provincial budgets; joint venture capital, association capital, socialized capital from organizations and enterprises; capital from aid and sponsorship from international organizations...

Red-crowned cranes at Tram Chim National Park. Photo: Dongthap.gov.vn — Red-crowned cranes at Tram Chim National Park. Photo: *Dongthap.gov.vn*

According to the Dong Thap province portal, red-crowned cranes were rediscovered in Tram Chim in 1985. During the period from 1988 to 1999, an average of 550 cranes appeared each year, and in 1988, 1,058 individuals were recorded. This was the period when Tram Chim had the most red-crowned cranes in the lower Mekong region. The presence of red-crowned cranes was one of the important reasons for the formation of Tram Chim Wetland Reserve, the predecessor of Tram Chim National Park today. However, due to many different reasons, the number of red-crowned cranes in Tram Chim has been decreasing. From 2000 to 2012, an average of 103 cranes appeared each year. During the period from 2013 to 2020, an average of 13 cranes appeared each year. In 2021, only 3 were seen and in 2022, no sightings were recorded.

Tram Chim National Park has a total core area of 7,313 hectares, representing the last remaining natural wetland ecosystem of the ancient Dong Thap Muoi, the 4th Ramsar site (a wetland designated as internationally important under the Ramsar Convention) in Vietnam and the 2,000th in the world. This is one of the internationally important bird areas in Vietnam and is the habitat of 232 bird species, including 32 rare species, 16 species on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), including the Sarus Crane. In 2017, the Park was recognized as a network of the East Asia - Oceania Flyway, an area of world importance for the conservation of migratory birds.

Kim Anh

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