Siberian White Crane on Protected Territories of Yakutia (Russian Northeast) N. I. Germogenov Abstract—The importance of existing protected territories of According to surveys of winter habitat in southeastern the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) to the conservation of the rare China, the current size of the white crane eastern popula- Siberian white crane is evaluated based on range structure and tion ranges from 2,610 to 3,000 individuals (Asia-Pacific new estimates of the white crane’s eastern population in northeast- Migratory Waterbird Conservation Strategy: 1996-2000; ern Russia. The protection of the Siberian crane’s population is Harris and others 1994). mostly carried out within 13 territories, occupying 8,934.5 km2 or 2.6 percent of the Sakha Republic’s area. Three of these territories are the Kytalyk Resource Reserve (16,080 km2), the Chaygurino Estimating Population Size in (23,756 km2), and the Khroma (1,130 km2). Reservations are the Northeast Yakutia _______________ sites of nesting and summering of more than 720 birds, or 37 to 43.7 percent of the eastern population. Various aspects of practical During the last 40 years, volumes of material describing and research activity related to the development and optimization the Siberian crane’s population in northeastern Yakutia of the population are examined. have been collected by various investigators during special and passing aircraft surveys (table 1). The data collected are characterized by significant variation in population size and habitat size estimation. In all cases, the extrapolation of Conservation of the white crane (Grus leucogeranus), a survey data was made without use of any necessary correc- globally imperiled species, is determined principally by the tion for methodical errors that can be introduced by conflict condition of its eastern population. The breeding area and between aircraft and ground survey results. main summer habitat of this population are subarctic tun- The cartographic registration of birds (scale 1:100,000) dra, forest tundra, and northern taiga in a vast system of during aircraft and ground observations in 1993 to 1997 lake depressions in northeastern Yakutia. To various de- 2 (following banding in 1990 to 1992) within the 1,314 km grees, the birds are found in the northern part of the control site in the Indigirsky population resulted in the territory, in the area between the Yana and Omoloy Rivers, identification of 86 individuals: 38 couples, four single birds, to the Kolyma River’s left bank—and in the southern part, 2 and two groups of three birds each (6.54 birds per 100 km ). in the Indigirka and Kolyma River basins up to the Momsky Forty of these birds, including 17 couples, were found in the Range’s northern spurs. The basic habitat area in Yakutia 2 course of a ground survey on July 5 to 10, 1995, in an area makes up between 220,000 to 300,000 km . The main part of 2 of 502 km (38 percent of the control site). The local density the nesting population is concentrated in the northern half of birds was 7.97 individuals per 100 km2 (Germogenov and of this area—in tundra and in forest tundra, which makes up others 1996). A similar population density was observed 130,000 km2 (Flint and Kisshchinsky 1975). According to during a ground survey dated August 5 to 10, 1995, in the recent investigations, the area of the population’s regu- 2 territory adjacent to the control site—7.34 individuals per lar habitat (no more than 82,000 km ) is composed of 2 2 100 km (26 birds per 354 km ). Of the 38 couples recorded three isolated centers of increased bird density: Khromsky, 2 2 in the control site, 14 were observed during one season, nine 10,300 km ; Indigirsky, 7,900 to 9,700 km ; and Alazeysky, during two seasons, six during three seasons, five during 1,950 to 4,380 km2 (Degtyaryov and Labutin 1991). four seasons, three during five seasons, and one during six Some (probably nonbreeding) birds spend the summer seasons (1990 to 1997). This observation reflects the diffi- beyond the bounds of the observed region—in the Lena River culty of yearly bird tracking, but suggests a strong attach- basin (the Linde and Khoruongka River basins) west of the ment for the territory. Accounting for annual variability in Zhigansk settlement (Degtyaryov and Labutin 1991). territorial fidelity and return rates, a population density from the control site of 5.4 birds per 100 km2, was indicated. Comparing this density with the estimates of Degtyaryov and Labutin (1991) for the same area (for example, 2.5 birds per 100 km2 in 1985; 1.7 per 100 km2 in 1987; and 2.63 per 100 km2 in 1989) suggests a correction factor (K + 2.46) In: Watson, Alan E.; Aplet, Greg H.; Hendee, John C., comps. 1998. to convert aerial survey numbers to estimates of the true Personal, societal, and ecological values of wilderness: Sixth World Wil- population size. derness Congress proceedings on research, management, and allocation, Applying this correction factor to white crane numbers volume I; 1997 October; Bangalore, India. Proc. RMRS-P-4. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research in northeastern Yakutia (670 to 790 birds) estimated by Station. aircraft survey (Degtyaryov and Labutin 1991) yields an N. I. Germogenov is Professor at the Yakutsk Institute of Biology, estimated population size of 1,650 to 1,950 birds in this Russian Academy of Sciences, Lenin Avenue, 41, 677891, Yakutsk. E-mail: [email protected]. territory. USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-4. 1998 55 Table 1—Information on white crane habitat and numbers in the Northeast of Yakutia. Area of main habitat (centres of increased Number of birds in main habitat Information source Period population density) (centres of increased population density) km2 Vorobyov 1963 1957-1960 — 200-250 couples or 400-500 specimens Uspenski and others 1962 1960 2,500-3,000 500-700 couples or 1,000-1,400 specimens Yegorov 1965 1963 20,000 900 specimens Yegorov 1971 1963-1964, 1966 32,000 1,500 specimens Flint and Kisshchinsky 1975 1971 130,000 (30,000) 300 specimens Flint and Sorokin 1982a,b 1977-1980 — 250-300 specimens Perfilyev 1965 1960-1962 — 300-350 couples or 600-700 specimens Perfilyev and Polakov 1979 1975, 1977 130,000 (30,000) 700 specimens Vshivtsev and others 1979 1978 >130,000 (51,000) 325 (301) specimens Labutin and others 1982 1980 65,560a 433 specimens Degtyaryov and Labutin 1991 1978-1989 82,000b (21,530c) 670-790 (572) specimens aTotal area of the population’s main distribution. bThe population’s regular breeding area. cTotal area of the three centres of increased density of the population. Particularly Protected Natural North East Asian Crane Site Network in 1997. Of the 13 protected territories in table 2, seven are included on the Territories______________________ preliminary “List of Important Bird Areas” or I.B.A. (1996). The Kytalyk Resource Reserve and the Chaygurino (two Preliminary population estimates are essential to evalu- 2 sites) and Khroma Reserves total 38,275 km or 12.8 percent ate the potential of the Particularly Protected Natural of the main range and 46.7 percent of the Yakutian Territories system being developed in the Sakha Republic population’s regular habitat area. These three reserves (Yakutia) to help conserve the white crane. carry most of the basic load of protection of breeding area Historically, indigenous Sakha people both revered the and summer habitat. According to population estimates, white crane as an image of purity and femininity, and relied 712 birds (37 to 43.7 percent of the population) nest or spend on it for meat and eggs (Andreyev 1974, 1987; Beme and summers within these territories. Within these reserves Priklonsky 1976; Ergis 1960; Maak 1886; Mikhel 1935; are several “centres” of markedly increased population den- Vorobyov 1963). In the last century, legal measures for sity. The Khromsky population centre accounts for 14 per- white crane protection in Yakutia were established (Hunt- 2 cent of the territory (or 1,477 km ), the Indigirsky centre ing Regulations of 1962) that forbade the hunting of this 2 makes up 33 to 40.6 percent (3,204 km ), and the Alazeysky species. The first Particularly Protected Natural Territory, 2 centre (up to 1989) up to 90 percent (2,430 km ). Thus, the which directly addressed conservation of the white cranes’ 2 total protected area comprises 7,111 km or 29.2 to 35.3 eastern population, was established in the early 1980’s. percent of the areas of increased population density and The long-term plan for the Particularly Protected Natu- the habitat of 422 birds (21.6 to 25.6 percent of the total ral Territory system was established by Sakha Republic population). President M. E. Nikolayev’s Decree, “On Measures of Beyond this main range of the population, white cranes Particularly Protected Natural Territories Development.” are sometimes found within territories and vicinities of According to the federal-regional legislative base currently the Ust-Lensky State Sanctuary situated in the Bulunsky in force, Particularly Protected Natural Territories are placed Ulus (Labutin and others 1982; Perfilyev and Polyakov under the federal (State Sanctuaries and Reserves), regional 1979), the Ust-Viluysky State Reserve in the Kobyaisky (National Parks, Resource Reserves), and local (Reserve Ter- Ulus (Report Cadastre of white crane in the Sakha Republic ritories) authority. Particularly Protected Natural Territo- (Yakutia) 1991), and the Ungra State Reserve in the ries of regional and local significance are developed without Neryungrinsky Ulus (Perfilyev 1965). In addition, signifi- their withdrawal from economic turnover, generally charac- cant newly established Reserve Territories are situated in terized by traditional nature use.