«CURRENT EVENTS»

CRANE FIELD FESTIVAL REVIVES FOLK TRADITIONS
THAT PROMOTE NATURE CONSERVATION

On May 15, the Home of the Crane protected area in the Taldomsky district of the Moscow Region held its Crane Field Festival. The event was arranged with the support of the Embassy of the Netherlands within the framework of the BCC’s Harmonizing the Farm Economy and PNA Management.

In recent years cranes have suffered badly from lack of food at critical periods – before flying away in the autumn to their winter havens. This lack is due to a considerable decrease in areas under grain crops.

For centuries cranes and other animals have depended on man’s farming activities. Unfortunately, not all modern technologies allow one to farm efficiently and save wild animals. That is why the use of nature-friendly technologies is so important in areas traditionally inhabited by rare animals.

A new tradition – the Crane Field Festival – is another step towards a better dialogue between man and wildlife.

The Festival’s main objective is to revive a good tradition once practiced by people living in the Homeland of the Crane: a small strip of land under grain crops sown in the spring would not be mown so that it could sustain birds and other wild animals. Prior to sowing, Father Ilya, the priest of the Taldomsky parish read a sermon and blessed the grain. The unmown furrow is also called “Christ’s Furrow” and is deeply rooted in old Christian tradition, when the furrow was to sustain not only wild animals, but strangers as well. For we are all strangers in this world…

Biodiversity Conservation Center

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