▁estimate ▁abund ances , ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁population ▁of ▁c ran es ▁in ▁Nep al ▁may ▁be ▁on ▁the ▁increase . ▁The ▁Australian ▁population ▁is ▁greater ▁than ▁ 5 , 0 0 0 ▁birds ▁and ▁may ▁be ▁increasing , ▁however , ▁the ▁S out heast ▁Asian ▁population ▁has ▁been ▁dec im ated ▁by ▁war ▁and ▁habitat ▁change ▁( such ▁as ▁int ensive ▁agricult ure , ▁def or est ation , ▁and ▁dra ining ▁of ▁wet lands ), ▁and ▁by ▁the ▁mid - 2 0 th ▁century , ▁had ▁disappeared ▁from ▁large ▁parts ▁of ▁its ▁range ▁which ▁once ▁stretch ed ▁up ▁to ▁southern ▁China . ▁Some ▁ 1 5 0 0 – 2 0 0 0 ▁birds ▁are ▁left ▁in ▁several ▁fragment ed ▁sub pop ulations , ▁though ▁recent ▁surve ys ▁in ▁My an mar ▁have ▁discovered ▁previously - unknown ▁bre eding ▁populations ▁in ▁several ▁locations . ▁ ▁Pay ment ▁to ▁loc als ▁to ▁guard ▁n ests ▁and ▁help ▁increase ▁bre eding ▁success ▁has ▁been ▁attempted ▁in ▁northern ▁Camb odia . ▁N est ▁success ▁of ▁protected ▁n ests ▁was ▁significantly ▁higher ▁than ▁that ▁of ▁un protected ▁n ests , ▁and ▁positive ▁population - level ▁impact s ▁were ▁apparent . ▁However , ▁the ▁program ▁also ▁caused ▁local ▁je alous ies ▁leading ▁to ▁deliber ate ▁disturb ance ▁of ▁n ests , ▁and ▁did ▁nothing ▁to ▁alle vi ate ▁larger - scale ▁and ▁more ▁permanent ▁thre ats ▁due ▁to ▁habitat ▁losses ▁leading ▁to ▁the ▁conclusion ▁that ▁such ▁payment - for - con serv ation ▁programs ▁are ▁at