ગુજરાતી
English
Ahmedabad, February 6, 2024
At the end of nine years the stork – saras – population increased by 750. Of the 1800 to 2000 crane population in the state, more than 60 percent is found in Anand area of Nadiad. There has been an increase of 150 percent.
Work is being done under the project by UPL in the state for the conservation and protection of the stork bird. While the average population of storks in the state is 1800 to 2000, the number of storks has more than doubled after nine years on the border of Anand-Kheda district.
The sarus crane is the highest flying bird globally and is classified as a vulnerable bird under the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Generally living in wet wetlands around human habitation, storks have to depend on agricultural areas for food and breeding.
Among the reasons for the decline in the stork population, environmentalists believe that habitat loss along with the loss of wetlands is a major reason. The project has been running since 2015 in Matrana Parish on the border of Anand-Kheda district.
After nine years, the number of storks here has more than doubled. In the year 2015, 500 cranes were seen in the UPL Sarus Crane Conservation Project. Subsequently the organization along with farmers and villagers developed this project holistically keeping in mind the conservation and protection of storks, at the end of 9 years the number of storks has more than doubled to 750. So now a total of 1254 cranes are seen roaming in the natural environment. A worker of an organization working for the conservation and protection of storks said that the highest number of storks is found in Uttar Pradesh and it has been given the status of state bird. It was given to the crane there. Apart from this, stork population is found in Rajasthan and Gujarat. Of the average population of 1800 to 2000 storks in Gujarat, more than 60 per cent are found in perigee wetlands.
Accustomed to living with farmers and associated with water, storks nest from July to October. Every year on 21st June the population of stork bird is counted. In which the population of storks was counted on small and big ponds and wetlands of 155 villages by the team of the organization from 7 am to 6 pm. The census is conducted twice.
Stork population data have been recorded annually since 2015 under this project in the wetland at Pariage.
year number
2015 – 500
2016 – 544
2017 – 657
2018 – 726
2019 – 772
2020 – 829
2021 – 915
2022 – 992
2023 – 1254
