VietNamNet Bridge - Dong Thap Muoi, the inland wetland in Mekong River Delta, has been a homeland for red-handed cranes (Grus antigone sharpie). Now it is no longer the ideal land for cranes to live. But Vietnam hopes the crane will return because it is making every effort to build homes for the precious birds.

Under the Dong Thap Muoi reclaiming program, which kicked off in late 1980s, the wasteland turned into a large rice granary in Vietnam. 

However, as canals, embankments and irrigation works have been built, the wetland ecosystem has degraded seriously. The grass fields which were food sources for cranes and other bird species have narrowed significantly. As a result, the cranes had to leave for new shelters.

Even the Tram Chim National Park, which was established in 1998 with an aim to protect red handed cranes, also suffered the same problem. In Tram Chim, which was once the place which had 60 percent of cranes, there are only dozens of individuals. In 2002, Tram Chim could receive 11 crane individuals. 

Leaving Tram Chim, the cranes flew to Hon Chong. It was estimated that 336 crane individuals lived in Hon Chong in 2011. However, as the tourism and shrimp hatchery boomed there, the cranes also had to live. In 2007, only 15 craned returned to Hon Chong.

Leaving Hon Chong, the cranes came to Phu My. In 2009, the area received 152 red handed cranes. But once again they had to leave. Only a few groups have lived there since 2010.

Gov't program

To retain the cranes, the government of Vietnam, conservation organizations and donors have joined forces to improve the habitat for waterbirds, migrating birds and red handed cranes with a budget of millions of dollars.

Vietnam hopes the crane will return because it is making every effort to build homes for the precious birds.

In 2007, the project on supporting habitat restoration and protecting the wetlands ecosystem in Tram Chim funded by WWF and Coca Cola helped bring 125 cranes to Vietnam. The effects of the project in the next years helped turn Tram Chim into the Vietnam’s first RAMSAR and the world’s 2,000th in 2012.

Following the success of the project, in 2014, WWF funded the project on building the Lang Sen Natural Reserve, which has become the world’s 2,227th RAMSAR site. 

The 2,000 hectares of mangrove land has become a breeding ground and wintering area important for migratory birds, fish and place for cranes to return.

However, Hoang Viet, a coordinator of WWF Vietnam, pointed out that the efforts to rehabilitate the wetland habitat may become in vain if relevant parties do not take actions to restrict negative impacts on the natural reserve. 

The overuse of pesticide in agriculture production, for example, will harm cranes.

MT & DS