SEOUL, Jan. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of red-crowned cranes visting Cheorwon Plain in Cheorwon, 88 kilometers northeast of Seoul, has surged in recent years, a study indicated Tuesday.
A paper recently published by the Korean Journal of Ornithology showed that the number of red-crowned cranes and white-naped cranes flying over to Cheorwon Plain, a primary destination for migratory birds, grew from 600 and 700, respectively, in 2003 to 1,200 and 5,500 in 2022.
This indicates that the wetlands in Russia’s Hanka Lake and Amur River, a major breeding ground for the cranes, are thriving.
The proportion of young birds among the red-crowned cranes and white-naped cranes coming to Cheorwon Plain stood at 19.8 percent and 17 percent, respectively.
Various preservation programs have been implemented, including those involving the creation of flooded paddy fields instead of rolling out extensive farmlands, and leaving rice stubble instead of retrieving the straw.
“The decrease in snowfall since 2000 caused by climate change has prompted cranes to migrate to Cheorwon instead of going to Izumi, Japan,” the authors said.
Image Credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
