Farmers tempt endangered species back by growing their favourite food

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At 176cm (just under 6ft), the sarus crane is the tallest flying bird and is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN’s red list of threatened species. But the eastern sarus crane (Antigone antigone sharpii), found in south-east Asia, is considered highly endangered: fewer than 200 are estimated to remain across the wetlands of Cambodia and Vietnam, a sharp decline from nearly 900 in 2002. About half of these visit Anlung Pring during their non-breeding period, arriving before the rice harvest in late December and staying until the dry season ends in May.

Oum Chrein, a farmer involved in the scheme, says: “When the crop has not yet been harvested, the cranes walk on the embankments around the fields and eat the grains from [the stalks at] the plot edges.”

The farmers who lease their land to NatureLife are paid 10 years’ rent upfront, calculated at 30% higher than their net income from the land. NatureLife, with the support of Cambodia’s ministry of environment and funded by IUCN Netherlands, uses the land to grow native short-grain rice varieties such as boka teourm and pong roluk (Khmer names), which are the cranes’ favourites. At harvest time, half of the crop on the 17 hectares (42 acres) of leased land is left to supplement the diet of the cranes and other birds.

NatureLife also offers the farmers the option of a daily allowance for cultivating the land, which provides a regular income. Bou Vorsak, acting chief executive at NatureLife, says: “We commit to the farmers that we will use the land only for growing rice and that the soil will remain suitable for cultivation in the long term.”

Under this new scheme, participating farmers leave 5% of their rice crop unharvested for the birds. They receive seeds at a subsidised rate, organic fertilisers and pesticides and training in organic farming techniques are provided for free by NatureLife’s partners. 

Farmer Tom Ke, also from Koh Chamkar, didn’t know much about the eastern sarus crane until he joined another NatureLife project earlier this year. “I only recall seeing this strange, tall bird with a red head,” he says. “I have now started to pay more attention to them.”

Source - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/20/cambodia-rice-farmers-tempt-endangered-cranes-back-by-growing-their-favourite-food-aoe

[Lucas 31,097]

truly a kind soul 

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On 11/22/2021 at 9:04 PM, Lucas said:

truly a kind soul 

Without a doubt, however there is also a financial advantage in helping those animals. People are much more open to help if there is a personal benefit in doing so, so programs like this are very useful especially in developing countries.