Crane Working Group
The Working Group originated in July 1997 as the North-East Asian Crane Site Network to oversee the implementation of the North-East Asian Crane Site Network Action Plan of the Asia Pacific Migratory Waterbird Conservation Strategy. In 2000 conservation issues related to Oriental and Black Storks were included but the Working Group and Network but retained its name for the sake of continuity and for the same reason is maintained as a working group of the EAAF.
The goal of the group is to encourage international cooperation on the conservation of cranes and storks and their wetland habitats to ensure the long-term survival of all crane and stork species. This will be done through the establishment of a cooperating unit of globally important sites and a network of conservationists under the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership.
Taxonomic groups include: Gruidae, Ciconiidae
- Grus japonensis Red-crowned Crane: BirdLife International -Species Factsheet, International Crane Foundation -Species Field Guide
- Grus leucogeranus Siberian Crane: BirdLife International -Species Factsheet, International Crane Foundation -Species Field Guide
- Grus vipio White-naped Crane: BirdLife International -Species Factsheet, International Crane Foundation -Species Field Guide
- Grus monacha Hooded Crane: BirdLife International -Species Factsheet, International Crane Foundation -Species Field Guide
- Grus grus Eurasian Crane: BirdLife International -Species Factsheet, International Crane Foundation -Species Field Guide
- Grus nigricollis Black-necked Crane: BirdLife International -Species Factsheet, International Crane Foundation -Species Field Guide
- Grus canadensis Sandhill Crane: BirdLife International -Species Factsheet, International Crane Foundation -Species Field Guide
- Anthropoides virgo Demoiselle Crane: BirdLife International -Species Factsheet, International Crane Foundation -Species Field Guide
- Ciconia boyciana Oriental Stork: BirdLife International -Species Factsheet
- Ciconia nigra Black Stork: BirdLife International -Species Factsheet
Conservation of the eastern subspecies of Great Bustard Otis tarda dybowskii sharing the habitat with crane species will be included whenever the Working Group thinks feasible and appropriate.
Geographic scope includes the six countries in North-East Asia: East Russian Federation, Mongolia, People’s Republic of China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Republic of Korea, and Japan. (Projects on Black-necked Cranes might involve other countries neighboring China).
Working Group Chair
Mr. Zhang Zhizhong
Director of the Wildlife Conservation Department & National Forestry and Grassland Administration, P.R. China
E-mail: [email protected]
Working Group Vice Chair
Dr. Kim Jin Han
Director, Exhibition and Education Division, Biological Resources Utilization Department,
National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR), Ministry of Environment, RO Korea
E-mail: [email protected]
Working Group Coordinator
Simba Chan
BirdLife International Tokyo
1/F Unizo Kakigaracho-kitajima Bldg., 1-13-1 Nihonbashi Kakigaracho, Chuo-ku Tokyo, Japan 103-0014
E-mail: [email protected]
Bio: Simba Chan started working for wildlife conservation at Mai Po Nature Reserve, Hong Kong, in 1987 and was scouted by the Wild Bird Society of Japan in 1995 for developing wetland conservation projects in South East Asia, flyway projects for cranes (among other things) and other BirdLife-related tasks such as Red Data Book and IBA (Important Bird and Biodiversity Area). Simba has carried out surveys extensively in Myanmar and is one of the editors of the Wetland Inventory of the country. He started work for BirdLife formally from 2005. Officially the coordinator for The Crane Working Group but has involvement with almost all other species WGs and TFs. Simba is also editor-in-chief of the CMS Action Plans for the Chinese Crested Tern and Black-faced Spoonbill.
