Where the Sarus thrives...

To say K S Gopi Sundar is interested in cranes would be an understatement. Hailing from Bangalore, he spends most of his time trying to save cranes and their habitats across south Asia with governments, NGOs, scientists, naturalists and anyone else who cares. He has been selected for a project on Sarus cranes at the Wildlife Institute of India. Gopi discovered hitherto unknown facts about this elegant species, and was subsequently invited by the International Crane Foundation (ICF) to continue his work on Sarus cranes.

Gopi is an invited member of several IUCN specialist groups, author of  scientific papers and popular-science features. He is currently developing a new programme ‘Sarus Scape’ for ICF to be housed in India.

Explaining the relevance of saving the Sarus crane with reference to India, he says, “The Sarus crane is unique in having most of its population occurring outside of Protected Areas in India. The primary breeding population of this species occurs in paddy fields in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. This means that a conservation ethos limited by protected areas would be wholly inadequate for the Sarus crane and species like it.”

Impact on other species
He points out that work focusing on Sarus cranes has led to important findings on other species. For example, he says that it is now fairly well-established that the maximum population of the declining and near-threatened black-necked storks also occur in landscapes dominated by crops. This is based on previously published information on this species that said that relatively large and undisturbed wetlands are required for the species.

Gopi Sundar’s research throws light on the importance of semi-wild patches near agricultural fields. Northern India, his research shows, is one of the four most intensively cultivated landscapes globally. Most of the landscape has been converted to croplands in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, and most of the fields produce multiple harvests each year.

Pointing out that these systems are not your classic locations for wildlife, he explains that they are still performing amazingly well as landscapes that provide food to humans and retain concentrations of globally threatened species like Sarus cranes.

Studies in Uttar Pradesh have revealed the importance of non-crop patches – like wetlands, woodlands, grasslands and scrub – in helping maintain populations of Sarus cranes and other species. Sarus crane numbers mirror the amount of wetlands  – more wetlands mostly mean more cranes, particularly when the primary crop during the monsoon is flooded paddy. Areas with more non-crop patches invariably have more number of bird species and more birds per se.

Sundar’s studies  show that a combination of favourable farmer attitudes and their habit of retaining some non-crop patches have helped conserve over 300 species of birds. Most non-crop patches are commonlands, especially wetlands and grasslands  useful for grazing cattle and collecting natural products like lotus, reeds, clay and silt. These patches are used greatly by the needy, leading to panchayat-level institutional mechanisms that disallow conversions of these areas to private crops.

Linked to high human population
Ironically, a high human population and use of such patches by humans have led to improving the landscape for birds in these areas. Attrition of these non-crop patches, however, continues in part due to corruption and due to changing climatic conditions that sometimes force farmers to expand croplands into these erstwhile common lands.
Gopi Sundar’s current work seeks to understand factors that maximise persistence of birds in the rice-wheat belt of Uttar Pradesh. His work has improved understanding of the distribution and habitat requirements of over 200 species of birds. Species previously regarded as being largely “woodland species” such as the Bluethroat, were seen in good numbers in rice and/or wheat fields suggesting a much wider ability by some species to adapt to changes in land use. Some species previously not known to occur widely in Uttar Pradesh were found to be widespread. For example, the Grey-headed Lapwing, Spotted Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Brown Rockchat and Red-headed bunting occur throughout the Gangetic floodplains in the winter.

The Sarus crane (Krauncha) is revered in Hindu mythology. Is this helping its conservation? Explains Gopi Sundar, “The Ramayana begins with the story of the sage Valmiki walking along the Ganga and encountering a pair of Sarus cranes dancing. One was shot by an arrow of a hunter causing anguish to the sage who cursed the hunter in verse.

“This is an example of the human emotions that this species evokes. A pair of Sarus Cranes is thought to bond for life – in the event that one dies, the other is supposed to die in grief. These and other similar stories in rural India have helped in farmers developing great reverence towards the species.”