Where do the young White Siberian cranes go? Why they never return to their birthplace? What is the fate they meet? To answer these question expedition of UNEP/GEF Siberian Crane Wetland Project
will travel to Yakutia in the beginning of August. The expedition participants will watch the birds, investigate thei habitats condition, meet local partners and people. One of the main expedition tasks is to mark the young cranes with Platform Terminal Transmitters. This is the only way to track them down, to find out where their are wintering and what places choose (if do!) for nesting.

The expedition will visit and investigate state of several nature protected areas of Yakutia - Kuoluma-Chappanda, Chabda, Kytalyk - the habitats and nesting places of White Siberian Cranes. Five young cranes will be marked with Platform Terminal Transmitters at the Kytalyk nesting ground.

The UNEP/GEF Siberian Crane Wetland Project is aimed on conservation of Siberian Crane nesting grounds in forest tundra of Ob river basin and in Eastern Siberia in Arctic tundra of Sakha Republic (Yakutia). These wild wetlands of tundra and forest tundra are vulnerable to climate change and are already affected by it. The Siberian Crane nesting grounds may be also threatened by oil extraction. To protect and conserve these grounds for Siberian Cranes, special management plans for these area are developed during the project, these management plans will protect the interests of endangered species.

Siberian Crane is one of the unique species well-adapted to severe conditions of tundra. Russian tundra is the only nesting ground of Siberian crane. Tundra is the Cranes’ home for four months, and then they travel to wintering grounds in China through Russian and Kazakhstan steppes. Once multiple, like white clouds, now the Siberian Cranes may be only tracked by ornitologists. The reasons for extinction - hunting and degradation of wintering grounds - lack of water and overpoplulation make winter a hardship for the Cranes.

In the areas of nesting Siberian Cranes in Yakutia and Yamalo-Nenecky Autonomous Region these birds are treated by local traditional culture as very special, hunting them is taboed. Respect for Siberian Crane is and important part of indigenous culture. This is the reason why within the project collection Migratory Birds In Russian Arctic Folklore will be published. The collection will include folklore from Yakutia and Yamalo-Nenecky Autonomous region.

The expedition results will be used to finalise nature reserves mamangement plans, to develop special ornitiology routs. The photographs made during the expedition will be used for publication of Atlas of Key Areas for Migratory Birds Along the Eastern Migratory route.

But the main result of the expedition should be following the destiny of the 5 young cranes, markes by PTTs. And the solution of this most intriguing question in the bird world, according to Julia Gorelova, Head of the Russian part of the project, would be found only due to the joint efforts of the UNEP/GEF project international team.