What management practice acts as an insurance policy against localized food failures during critical migratory rest stops?
Encouraging habitat diversity supporting both invertebrate populations and waste grain access
Effective management for the Whooping Crane requires a network approach covering the entire flyway, not just isolated areas. To mitigate the risks associated with localized food scarcity or crop failures at any given stopover point, habitat managers must ensure redundancy in food sources. This means maintaining areas that support high-quality natural resources, such as invertebrate populations in wetlands, while simultaneously ensuring access to managed agricultural resources like cover crops or residual waste grain left from harvests. This diversity acts as a crucial insurance policy, providing alternative refueling stations during their tightly scheduled, high-energy migrations.
