India will soon get a clear picture of its Ganges and Indus river dolphins: Centre

October 15, 2024
Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
Category: DPN Topics

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India will soon get a clear picture of its Ganges and Indus river dolphins: Centre

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Sec: Species in news

Context:

India is set to get a clearer understanding of its freshwater dolphins—the Ganges and Indus dolphins—through an 8,000-kilometre aquatic survey.
The survey is the world’s first comprehensive assessment of dolphin populations in the region.

Key Highlights:

Species Assessed: Ganges dolphin (Platanista gangetica) and Indus dolphin (Platanista minor).
It will establish a baseline for dolphin populations, aiding future conservation efforts.
Significance: River dolphins are indicators of a healthy river ecosystem. However, their populations have been in sharp decline due to pollution, habitat loss, and illegal hunting.
Agencies Involved: Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, WII, and state forest departments from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Punjab.
Conservation Goals:
- Formulate a detailed strategy for conserving river and marine dolphins.
- Implement year-round monitoring of key dolphin habitats.

Decline of Dolphin Populations:

Historical Decline: Populations of Ganges and Indus dolphins in India’s rivers have dropped by 50-60% over the last century.
Reasons: Pollution, habitat destruction, reduced river flows, and illegal hunting (particularly for dolphin oil).
Local Extinctions: Dolphins have disappeared from parts of the Yamuna, Ken, Betwa, and Barak rivers.

Conservation Priority:

Project Dolphin: A key initiative, launched on August 15, 2020, aimed at securing the future of India’s river dolphins.
Challenges: Dolphins have a slow reproductive rate, typically producing one calf every 2-3 years, making their populations highly vulnerable to environmental threats and human activities.

About the Indus Dolphin and Ganges Dolphin:

Characteristic	Indus Dolphin	Ganges Dolphin
Scientific Name	Platanista minor	Platanista gangetica
Local Name	Bhulan (in Pakistan and parts of India)	Susu (in India, Bangladesh, Nepal)
Habitat	Indus River system (primarily in Pakistan, a small section in the Beas River, India)	Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna river systems (India, Nepal, Bangladesh)
Conservation Status (IUCN)	Endangered Schedule I, Wildlife Protection Act (1972); State aquatic animal of Punjab Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS COP)	Endangered Schedule I, Wildlife Protection Act (1972); National aquatic animal of India and State aquatic animal of Assam Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS COP)
Current Population	~1,816 in Pakistan; 6-8 in India (Beas River)	~2,644 in the Ganga basin; ~987 in Brahmaputra basin
Key Threats	Habitat fragmentation, reduced river flow, pollution, illegal hunting	Pollution, habitat destruction, reduced river flow, illegal hunting
Reproductive Rate	Low (one calf every 2-3 years)	Low (one calf every 2-3 years)
Conservation Challenges	Severe habitat fragmentation due to dams, altered water flow, and very small population in India	Pollution, illegal hunting for oil, habitat degradation, challenging to observe due to brief surfacing
Conservation Initiatives	Project Dolphin; protected in a small section of Beas River	Project Dolphin; year-round monitoring at key hotspots
Distinctive Features	Blind, relies on echolocation to navigate; more isolated population	Blind, uses echolocation; larger population, spread over more regions
Role as Ecosystem Indicator	Indicates the health of the Indus River ecosystem	Indicates the health of the Ganges and Brahmaputra river systems

Source: DTE