Ebenezer T. Bifubyeka (Ten),Biafra, Mbarara, Western Uganda.
A new crane species, Wattled Crane, the largest of the crane family, was found in Uganda in early May, 2009 (see The New Vision of May 14, 2009).
Come May 23, ‘Uganda Big Birding Day,’ Uganda will celebrate the migration of the new Wattled Crane from South Africa to Kibimba Rice Scheme in Bugiri district.
We may rejoice for the new species of bird that brings the total number of bird species in Uganda to 1,040 – the highest concentration in Africa. But what safety is guaranteed to this migrant running away from climate change from its native land of South Africa?
This calls for Uganda government to declare wetlands – ‘out of bounds.’ The Wattled Crane breeds in wetlands. Wetlands in Uganda cover about 13% (of the total land area of 241,500km), according to Promotion of Sustainable Management of Ramsar Wetland.
Who knows, such great wetlands loss maybe responsible for the disappearance of our native bird species like ‘Kamukyerengye,’ the bird with ‘eight eyes’ (mistaken for its eight colours around its body) that was common in Ankole region, two decades ago!
Likewise, the Wattled Cranes, which have no crowns, are facing extinction due to wetland loss! Environmentalists say the Wattled Cranes, which mainly breeds in swamps, are threatened by wetland degradation.
And in South Africa, there are some 120 pairs of Wattled Cranes left – less than one tenth of the original population – because of degrading wetlands by draining, damming, burning, deforestation and mass aerial spraying of tsetse flies.
And this puts the life of the new Wattled Crane (Bugeranus carunculatus) in Uganda in a balance for it was found in a disturbed wetland – where there is massive spraying of pesticides!
According to Kevin I. McCann and Grant A. Benn who have carried out a quantitative study in South Africa, the main threat of Wattled Crane is the loss of undisturbed breeding habitat.
Wattled Cranes in KwaZulu-Natal midlands of South Africa, were found to have an average home range size of 16.64km2, consisting mostly of open natural grassland (75.5% of the overall home range of pairs).
The core breeding area consists of similar proportions of both wetland (48.9%) and grassland (51.8%) habitat. This indicates the dependence of Wattled Cranes on specific wetland habitats, surrounded by natural grassland.
The home ranges do not appear to be currently restricted by surrounding land use types, indicating that factors other than habitat loss may be contributing to breeding site losses.
Of recent, Uganda’s tourism industry, the highest foreign income earner, was hardly slapped by the global credit crunch.
So the rare and huge Wattled Crane that weighs about 8kg and measures 172cm – is our gold to conserve. About 8,000 Wattled Cranes are remaining worldwide (according to the international crane Foundation).
Conserving wetlands is the only safety of the endangered Wattled Crane in Uganda – just like its relatives – the native Black Necked Cranes and Grey Crowned Cranes.
Wattled Cranes in: Zambia (where more than half of the world’s Wattled Cranes occur), Okavango Delta of Botswana and Ethiopian highlands – breed in wetlands. The rare shoebill birds – breed in wetlands too; even those found in Bangweulu Wetlands in Zambia – breed from papyrus swamps along the Lukulu River.
Wetland destruction coupled with deforestation has expedited Climate Change, which is forcing such bird species to migrate. As the director of Nature Uganda, Achilles Byaruhanga says, cranes were not known to be migrating birds.
Therefore one can not rule out the impact of climate change to explain the new crane’s appearance in Uganda, where they never used to be. This implies that Uganda’s climate is favourable for the Wattled Crane. Make wetlands – their habitat – out of bounds.
Ends.
Word Count: 605.
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