Three Decades of Conservation Efforts Pay Off for This Bird

Following three decades of conservation efforts, the population of wattled cranes in South Africa improved to the point where the bird is no longer critically endangered, and further measures must be enforced to protect the bird’s natural habitat across southern Africa.

“Today their population has increased to above 250 mature individuals, and it is continuing to increase, so it is now listed as Endangered,” explains Christie Craig, conservation scientist at the International Crane Foundation (ICF).

Between 1970 and 2000, the wattled crane population fell to fewer than 200 birds, leading to the status of Critically Endangered in South Africa. In 1994, the ICF, the Endangered Wildlife Trust, Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife, and other NGOs joined forces to protect the cranes. An aerial survey 2015 revealed 267 individuals, primarily located in the KwaZulu-Natal province; in 2024, that population reached 304. Consequently, the bird’s status changed from Critically Endangered to Endangered. Studies show that of all Africa’s crane species, the wattled crane – or Bugeranus carunculatus – is the most “wetland dependent.” Indeed, its population depends mainly on intact wetlands and floodplain habitats. As for its feeding, roosting, and nesting, it relies on grasslands. According to the IUCN Red List‘s 2018 assessment, the wattled crane’s global population was estimated at 6,000 mature individuals in the wild.