Wattled Cranes are symbolic of wetlands and wetland conservation. In order to survive and reproduce successfully, a pair of cranes needs a large "sponge", and freedom from human disturbance. The wetlands of South Africa have been abused for the past two hundred years, and the damage caused to catchment areas is a national disaster. Millions of tons of topsoil are lost every year because of the unrestrained flow of water from damaged sponges, which would normally absorb and store the rainfall, releasing it slowly over a period of months. Now the water rushes unchecked towards the sea, causing widespread damage and loss of life, as witnessed by successive years of flooding in Natal. These events are usually called "natural disasters" by politicians, but they are actually "man-made disasters", often resulting from the actions of politicians.

South Africa has some 120 pairs of Wattled Cranes left, and it is probably no exaggeration to say that the original wetlands could easily have supported ten times this number, maybe even fifty times!. This is a measure of the damage done to sponges by draining, damming, burning and afforestation, and also an indication of the amount of work needed to restore South Africa's wetlands to a semblance of what they were a hundred years ago. Unless this restoration is tackled as a national priority, devastating floods will continue to rob the land of its topsoil and cause damage running to millions of rands every year.

In Zimbabwe, Wattled Cranes breed in the northern half of the country, mainly on wetlands in the east and central parts. The Okavango Delta of Botswana has long been regarded as a stronghold for the species, and in some years flocks appear on the Makgadikgadi Pans. During exceptionally wet years non-breeding flocks may visit pans at Grootfontein, Etosha and Owambo, all in Namibia. In this country Wattled Cranes breed in the Mahango Game Reserve in Kavango, and on Lupala and Nkasa Island in eastern Caprivi. These cranes are reportedly numerous in the wetlands at the delta of the Zambezi River in Mocambique, but information is needed on their current status there. There is no doubt that the Wattled Crane is a very special bird throughout southern Africa, and deserves ongoing research and monitoring. It is a "flagship" species for wetland conservation.

The small South African population now seems to have stabilized, and some important breeding areas have been purchased by the provincial conservation authorities in Transvaal and Natal. The potential of artificially hatching and rearing chicks from two-egg clutches is very good. Wattled Cranes never rear more than one chick from these two-egg clutches.

The above is from: http://www.infoweb.co.za/enviro/ewtbook/page3.htm