A month long expedition to track wattled cranes and championed by conservation biologist Charles Mpofu has resumed in the Okavango Delta. Mpofu’s aim is to avail the findings to policy makers for usage in conservation decision making.
Mpofu’s Okavango Wattled Crane Research Project was incepted in 2020 whilst he was still working for the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), as one of their wildlife biologists conducting research in the northern Botswana.
Mpofu, who is also PhD student, then became a National Geographic Explorer in 2024 where National Geographic supported the project by funding some objectives of the project. Mpofu is the first Motswana to lead the kind of project and so far, has captured four wattled cranes and deployed GPS backpacks to monitor them. The expedition began on May 5th and is scheduled to end on June 4th, 2025.
In an interview, Mpofu stated that the projects include catching the birds, deploying GPS trackers to monitor their movement patterns and habitat use, nest monitoring for breeding success and aerial survey to count and establish their current population.
“Most importantly, it is worth sharing that Botswana is considered a stronghold for the species, and the last extensive survey of these species was last reported on over 20 years ago. So, this project will close the data gap which is currently present and play a role in contributing towards Okavango biodiversity body of knowledge,’’ said Mpofu.
According to Mpofu, the project is currently conducted within the Okavango delta and other temporary water catchments within the northern part of Botswana. He added that the wattled crane is the most wetland dependent crane of all African cranes, hence it is found closest to wetland. He said that the bird studied is a biological indicator of the health status of the ecosystem.
Mpofu expressed that the wattled cranes are important in the ecosystem because where they are found tends to be pristine or less disturbed by people, and that means if they know where they are or lives, they will even understand where other wild animals like elephant, zebra, wildebeest and even carnivores like lion would also prefer to be.
“This is to say that, where the wattled cranes live seem to be an area preferred by other animals as well. So, if we know where the animals prefer to be, we then know whether it is closer to current or future human settlements, and hence strategise on how to mitigate the human-wildlife conflict. In a nutshell, wattled cranes can act as an early warning system, very helpful as they can inform of possible water pollution before people can realise it,” he said.
He noted that the presence of wattled cranes in settlements on the edges of the Okavango delta, is usually an indication that the fresh flood waters are about to arrive.
Mpofu has further highlighted threats that wattled crane face, which include loss and degradation of wetlands as a result of upstream river regulations, intensified agriculture activity where some water abstract and diversion would affect lower part of the water catchment. Other threats are mining in its habitat, as well as the existence of alien invasive species such as Kariba weed.
He revealed that natural processes like drought which change the hydrology of the system where one year there are more waters inflows whilst another year there also less water inflows.
Mpofu further said the project pinpoint exact areas where wattled cranes are found within the Okavango, therefore identifying areas available for utilisation, not only by wattled cranes but by all the wildlife within the ecosystem.
“This will direct the government as to whether the current Okavango delta World Heritage site boundary area is relevant in terms of harboring the wildlife. This project will find out the population status of the wattled crane within the stronghold. Hence understanding that, will give insights into possible mitigation measures to implement in case the population would have declined,” he said.
