TOKYO: Japan’s Environment Ministry removed for the first time the red-crowned crane, also known as the Japanese crane, from its list of threatened species on Tuesday (March 17).
The ministry’s assessment of the bird, which is designated by the Japanese government as a special natural monument, was downgraded to “near-threatened” from “threatened,” thanks to a population recovery, meaning that the risk of the species becoming extinct is low.
The Japanese crane, which lives in Hokkaido, northern Japan, saw its population drop to as low as 33 in 1952 due to overhunting. Thanks to conservation efforts, about 1,200 adult cranes are believed to be in the wild now.
The ministry also revised its assessment of the crested ibis to “endangered” from “critically endangered” thanks to efforts to reintroduce the bird to the wild on Sado Island in the central Japan prefecture of Niigata.
In 1991, the ministry started releasing its list of threatened species, which is updated roughly every five years.
The number of threatened species rose by 22 to 204, according to the latest update. The additions include the dunlin, a migratory bird. - The Japan News/ANN
