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0Elegance in the air: red-crowned crane
空中精灵：丹顶鹤
The Zhalong National Nature Reserve in Heilongjiang province has released over 380 red-crowned cranes into the wild, making it the world's largest and most populous breeding and habitat site for wild red-crowned cranes, as well as a base for artificial breeding and rewilding.
黑龙江省扎龙国家级自然保护区已将380多只丹顶鹤放归自然，使这里成为全球最大的丹顶鹤野生繁殖和栖息地，同时也是丹顶鹤人工繁育和野化放归的重要基地。
Established in 1979, the reserve was upgraded to a national-level reserve by the State Council in 1987 and is now known as the hometown of red-crowned cranes. It was inscribed on the List of Wetlands of International Importance in 1992 and was honored as one of China's Top Ten Charming Wetlands in 2013.
该保护区建立于1979年，并于1987年由国务院升级为国家级自然保护区，如今被誉为“丹顶鹤之乡”。1992年，扎龙自然保护区被列入《国际重要湿地名录》，并于2013年入选“中国十大魅力湿地”。
Reflecting on these hard-won achievements, Wang Wenfeng, a conservationist who has worked at the reserve for 21 years, has many emotions. When he began his work at Zhalong, Wang initiated the establishment of a red-crowned crane captive breeding work group and set up a red-crowned crane captive breeding base. The work aimed to reduce interference in the breeding of free-range red-crowned cranes and facilitate the successful rewilding of their offspring.
回顾这些来之不易的成就，在保护区工作了21年的保护工作者王文锋百感交集。刚到扎龙工作时，王文锋牵头组建了丹顶鹤圈养繁育工作组，并成立了丹顶鹤圈养繁育基地，旨在减少对散养丹顶鹤繁殖的干扰，助力后代成功回归自然。
" The breeding season for red-crowned cranes is from March to June, with each pair laying one to two eggs at a time," said Wang. "Initially, we retrieved the eggs of free-range cranes for artificial incubation, but we gradually found that red-crowned cranes are often affected by environmental factors and predators, making it difficult to ensure the survival rate. "Especially after May and June, flying insects and biting pests abound, constantly disturbing the incubation process, significantly reducing the success rate of hatching," he added.
“丹顶鹤的繁殖季节在每年的三月至六月，每对丹顶鹤一次会产下一到两个蛋，”王文锋说，“起初我们收集野外丹顶鹤的蛋进行人工孵化，但逐渐发现丹顶鹤常受环境因素和捕食者影响，导致成活率难以保障。尤其是每年五六月份飞虫和叮咬类害虫数量增多，频繁干扰孵化过程，显著降低了孵化成功率。”他补充道。
The red-crowned crane is a vigilant bird that often chooses to nest and breed hidden in the reed beds in relatively shallow waters. "The water surface cannot be too deep," said Wang. "It needs to be easy for them to wade in for feeding and the height of the reeds cannot be too low to avoid detection by predators. "In 2017, we found a sharp decline in the wild red-crowned crane population in the core area of the Lindian Reed Breeding Field," he said. "It was mainly due to excessive reed harvesting, leaving the cranes with no place to nest and breed."
丹顶鹤是一种高度警觉的鸟类，通常选择在浅水区的芦苇丛中隐蔽筑巢繁殖。王文锋解释说：“水面不能太深，这样方便它们涉水觅食；而芦苇的高度也不能太低，以避免被捕食者发现。”他还提到，“2017年，我们发现林甸育苇场核心区的野生丹顶鹤数量急剧减少，主要原因是过度砍伐芦苇使丹顶鹤失去了筑巢繁殖的场所。”
After contacting the local forestry department, they adopted a reed leasing approach and continued implementing wetland restoration projects to reserve reed belts. They provided compensation to farmers to preserve reed and create suitable habitats for red-crowned cranes and other rare waterfowl. So far, the compensation area for reed ponds in the core area managed by the Zhalong administration has reached 1,300 hectares, with an annual compensation amount of 2 million yuan.
与当地林业部门联系后，他们采取了芦苇租赁的方式，并持续实施湿地修复项目以保留芦苇带。同时，他们向农民提供补偿，以保护芦苇，为丹顶鹤及其他珍稀水禽提供适宜的栖息地。目前，扎龙保护区管理的核心区域芦苇池的补偿面积已达到1300公顷，每年补偿金额达200万元。
