For more than 25 years, ICF has been deeply involved in the establishment and management of what is now Tram Chim National Park, the largest wetland conservation area in the Mekong River Basin of Southeast Asia. Earlier this year, Tram Chim was designated a Wetland of International Importance through the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands.
ICF has worked in the Mekong River Basin since 1988, coordinating community projects, long-term wetland restoration activities, and training for a new generation of wetland managers. Working with eight founding institutions, ICF created the University Network of Southeast Asia in 2001 to establish a training program in wetland ecology and management for students and professionals in the Mekong Basin. Over the past ten years, this network has grown to include 18 member universities and has trained over 200 students in wetland management. Many are now leaders in universities and conservation organizations working within the region.
ICF strengthens its research and conservation work in South Asia by naming K. S. Gopi Sundar, Ph.D. as the Program Director for the new SarusScape Program starting in January 2012. The SarusScape Program focuses on the world’s tallest flying bird, the Sarus Crane, which is one of 11 crane species threatened with extinction. The new program will build on the strong cultural values towards cranes that have served to secure vital wetlands for the Sarus Cranes in India over the millennia.
Wildlife conservation is rife with attempts to maintain “pristine wilderness” as we struggle to preserve Earth’s wonderful biodiversity. Efforts to conserve many crane species, however, require a very different approach. Sarus Cranes in north India, for example, are found mostly in a heavily populated and intensively cultivated landscape in the state of Uttar Pradesh. This landscape has had very high human populations for centuries, and was converted almost entirely to smallholder farmer systems at least 300 years ago. Clearly, in such an area, attempting to get land solely for wildlife is not possible given the very high human densities (> 800 people per sq. km.!), and their need for agricultural land.