VLADIVOSTOK, September 3. /TASS/. A data base on conditions of the Siberian crane, listed in the Red Data Book, with a map of the species distribution across the region will be generated after research at the Kytalyk National Park in Yakutia's Arctic Zone, the national park's representative, research engineer at the Institute of Biological Problems of the Cryolithozone (the Russian Academy of Sciences' Siberian Branch) Sergey Sleptsov told TASS during the Eastern Economic Forum.
The research will continue for two years, from 2026 to 2027. It is funded by a grant from the Presidential Foundation for Nature. "As part of the project, we plan to generate a new database on the Siberian crane population, their nests with coordinates. The database would include a description, location of sites and photographs taken there. Later on, this would allow scientists to carry out further monitoring," the scientist said.
Similar studies were conducted several decades ago - from the 1990s to 2008, he continued. When creating the map, scientists used only data from the cranes' ringing. This summer, while working on the new map, it was for the first time that specialists used drones as they surveyed an area of more than 800,000 square kilometers.
"As of July, the Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve in China and Russia's Zeya Nature Reserve signed cooperation agreements under the project," the expert said. "In May, we began ground expeditions that finished in July, and two observation towers have been built. We have also organized educational events for residents and school students, and we have used drones to take video," the scientist added. In-house processing of the data obtained off drones will continue for next five months.
The project also involves the launch of a mechanism between protected areas of the Russian Federation and China to assess measures to protect Siberian cranes along the entire flight route and to create conditions for bird monitoring at nesting sites.
Siberian crane is the world's third most rare crane species. The birds nest only in Russia. They have two disparate populations - the West Siberian (Ob) and the East Siberian (Yakut). The East Siberian population has grown to about 5,500 birds over recent decades, though it still remains critically low for the species' long-term survival. The bird takes an important position in the culture of the North's low-numbered indigenous peoples inhabiting its breeding area. People in Yakutia say the Siberian crane (or white crane) is a sacred bird, and it is also a bird of happiness.
About the project and the national park
The Kytalyk National Park in Yakutia was established in December 2019 under the Ecology National Project. The national park's total area is more than 1.8 million hectares. The main protected species is the Siberian crane. The Siberian crane population's 70% is located in the specially protected natural area of the Kytalyk National Park in Yakutia's Allaikhovsky District.
The latest data from the autumn count on the Siberian crane flight in Yakutia and from the winter counts in China indicate an increase in the bird population. As the number increases, it is necessary to identify changes in the distribution of individuals in the nesting area.
The project's leader is Arkady Semenov, Director of the Lena Pillars National Park, which manages the Kytalyk National Park.
About the forum
The Eastern Economic Forum is running in Vladivostok from September 1 to 4 under the theme "The Far East: Development for the Benefit of People." The event's organizer is the Roscongress Foundation, with TASS as its general information partner.
