A network of refugia: Whooping Crane drought response informs international habitat conservation goals

Whooping Cranes land in a palustrine-emergent wetland amid row crop agriculture near Atkinson, Nebraska, during spring migration in April of 2020 (photo by M. L. Forsberg). From 2023 to 2024, the U.S. and Canada updated conservation plans for the Whooping Crane through international workshops. These forthcoming documents will reflect shared goals for wetland conservation aimed at boosting the species' resilience to climate change and habitat loss, which were informed by applied research regarding drought impacts on migrating Whooping Cranes. The active protection and management of hydrologically diverse wetland complexes can create climate refugia that help ensure the integrity of Whooping Crane migration through the Central Flyway into the foreseeable future.