Sangti village is in the catchment of the Sangti river, in the West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh. It is located at a distance of 11 km from the Bhalukpong-Tawang road, and to go there one has to get off the road at Dirang, cross the Dirang river and follow the dirt track along the Sangti river. With an altitude of about 1500 m, the winters here are cold and dry. The landscape is that of a wide, open valley with paddy fields, some of which are marshy along the river on one side.

This open valley has been an ideal habitat for the wintering black-necked crane, now an endangered species. These birds have been regularly visiting this valley since the early 1950s. It is an ideal breeding ground for these avian visitors and the marshy lowlands act as a good source of food supply for them. At night the birds choose to roost in the middle of the river on sandy islands with vegetation, in order to safeguard themselves from wild animals like leopard, jackal, common civet and wild dog.

The black-necked cranes arrive towards the end of November or early December and leave the area by early February (this coincides with the lean period of the villagers). The cranes also feed on insects and the grains fallen in the fields after the harvest. The birds’ choice of nesting site is a marshy spot in a field owned by a farmer.

The Morpa community which inhabits this area are mainly Buddhists and also followers of the ancient animist tradition. Rituals involving sacrifice are still prevalent amongst the animists. Agriculture is one of the occupations practised by the villagers, in which most agriculturalists grow paddy and maize. Besides this, horticulture, rearing of hens, sheep, cows, goats, pigs and horses is also practised. The rate of literacy amongst the Morpas is very high, and some of them have found employment with the government and the army, stationed here.

In 2001, the new headmaster of the Sangti High School and the teachers decided to restart the conservation process for the birds. The community was identified as the main stakeholder and it was realised that successful conservation could not occur if they were excluded from it. The teachers were of the opinion that the reason for the failure of earlier conservation attempts was that the committee did not consist of enough community members. It was decided that the local community, along with the various departments like the forest department, Irrigation and Flood Control Department, the Tourism Department, the Deputy Commissioner, and the local political leaders, would be given responsibility for effective and long-term conservation. Rekindling the interests of the people, making them aware of the ill-effects of the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers and education about conservation became a part of the new agenda. The status of this initiative since 2001 could not be ascertained.

Despite there being no obvious threat from the villagers or from excessive tourism due to the Inner Line permit restriction, the number of birds visiting the area is declining. The winter of 2000–1 witnessed the arrival of a lone bird, which stayed only for one day. The reasons for this could be:

1. The drying up of the marshy land, which is a crane feeding area, caused by the felling of trees on the hill slopes;

2. As a result of the deforestation on the hills, the temperature has increased, leading to a change in the course of the Sangti River which now cuts through the paddy field which is a roosting ground for the birds.

3. Another factor influencing their diminishing numbers is that the farmer who owns the field has started using chemical fertilizers and pesticides since the past 2–3 years in order to increase his yield.

4. Continuing picnics and loud noise in areas close to the roosting site.