Significant Others

As well as the immediate partnership organisations, there are a lot of other groups and individuals who have all contributed to this project in one way or another.

Most significantly are Beate Blahy and Eberhard Henne from the Biosphere Reserve “Schorfheide – Chorin” in Brandenburg State, Germany. 

Photo Credit www.paulhahn.de 

Both Beate and Eberhard have given many many hours of their time to help this project get off the ground and the project owes an enormous gratitude to them...and all because of their love of cranes! 
An thank you to you both – we are very grateful.

The Biosphere Reserve team of staff and volunteers who have also put in many hours nest searching and monitoring and will be doing so over the coming years too.
Visit the Biosphere Reserve website »

The project partnership would like to thank leading aircraft manufacturer Airbus and international airline Lufthansa who are working together to transport GCP staff and the crane eggs between Germany and the UK.

Launched in the International Year of Biodiversity, involvement with the Great Crane Project forms part of Airbus' commitment to support the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, through the Green Wave project, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity with children, young people and educators.

Lufthansa has a history of supporting Eurasian crane conservation initiatives. As a member of “Kranichschutz Deutschland,” the Crane Protection Germany working group, Lufthansa promotes measures to ensure safe breeding, staging and wintering areas for Eurasian cranes in Germany and also contributes towards international crane protection initiatives. Furthermore, the company supports the Crane Information Center in Gross Mohrdorf in the Rügen-Bock region of Mecklenburg-Eastern Pomerania, which is run by Crane Protection Germany. This region is one of the most important staging areas for cranes in Central Europe.

Günter Nowald  - the Director of Kranich-Schutz Deutschland (Crane Protection Germany) has also given much of his time, data and advice to the project along with Wolfgang Mewes. Many many thanks to both.
Visit the Kranich-Schutz Deutschland website »

The International Crane Foundation in the USA have developed puppet and costume techniques in the captive rearing of Whooping and Sandhill cranes over the last decade. Many of the techniques that the project will be employing are based on ideas developed and perfected by ICF and the project is grateful for their assistance.  You can hear George Archibald describing the early stages of this project at http://www.youtube.com/user/ICFCraneTube or visit the ICF website for more information.

Visit the International Crane Foundation website »

Scott Hereford of The Mississippi Sandhill Crane Group has also provided advice on the  captive rearing and release of cranes and the project is very grateful for his help.  
Visit the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Group website »
 

The farmers and landowners on the Levels and Moors - a number of whom are supporting the reintroduction through the deployment of decoys and supplementary feed, and creating suitable breeding habitats on their land.  Also many thanks are due to hose who will inadvertently help the return of the cranes through sympathetic farming over the coming years. 

he UK Crane Working Group, whose support is vital to the project’s success. Many thanks for accepting reintroduction as a valid and important part of the UK crane story.

The volunteer teams in Somerset and Gloucestershire who have given and promised so many hours to the project and without whom it would struggle to get off the ground.

All those that have supported the partner organisations within the project financially through appeals and donations – many, many thanks for your generosity.

The three conservation partners, WWT, RSPB and PCT would also like to show their enormous appreciation to Viridor Credits Environmental Company for the £700,000 that has been given to support the first three years of the project – Thankyou!
Visit the Viridor Credits website »