Internationally recognized crane conservationist George Archibald shared his current work in Mongolia at the Platte River Basin Ecosystem Symposium in Nebraska on Tuesday 5 June.

Mr Archibald has been researching and working as a conservationist in crane preservation for more than 40 years. He has been travelling to Mongolia for many years to help with that country’s crane conservation efforts. It is a diverse country of mountains, deserts and vast grasslands, home to many species of cranes, including the endangered Siberian crane and the white-naped crane.

“The reason the Crane Foundation has been active in Mongolia since 1991 is that this is one of the last great places on Earth to save,” Archibald said. Animal agriculture is still a dominant industry, with more than 50 million domestic animals, including cows, yaks, camels, horses, sheep and goats. The spread of agriculture is threatening Mongolian wetlands, which serve as a critical resource for wildlife and migrating birds, such as cranes.

The International Crane Foundation at Baraboo, Wisconsin. was founded by George Archibald and a colleague, Ronald Sauey. The foundation supports conservation projects in 45 countries, including Mongolia.