India Launches Second Nationwide Dolphin Census to Protect River Species

According to the Environment Ministry, Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav had launched the 2nd round of Pan India population estimation of dolphins and their estimation protocol at Dehradun during the last wildlife week.

This programme is coordinated by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, in collaboration with State Forest Departments and partner conservation organisations WWF India, Aaranyak and Wildlife Trust of India.

The Environment Ministry said that a regional training workshop for forest staff from 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh was held yesterday at Bijnor, and further training would be conducted intermittently for every 10-15 districts to ensure standardised field capacity, as the survey progresses.

The survey began with 26 researchers in three boats, recording ecological and habitat parameters, and using technologies such as hydrophones for underwater acoustic monitoring. In the first phase, the survey will cover the main stem of the Ganga from Bijnor to Ganga Sagar, as well as the Indus River. In the second phase, it will cover the Brahmaputra, the Ganga's tributaries, the Sundarbans, and Odisha.

Apart from the Ganges River Dolphin, the survey will assess the status of the Indus River Dolphin and Irrawaddy Dolphins, along with habitat condition, threats, and associated conservation-priority fauna. This initiative will generate robust scientific data to support evidence-based conservation planning and policy action for India's river ecosystems.

The Environment Ministry said that the previous nationwide survey (2021-23) recorded an estimated 6,327 riverine dolphins in India, including Ganges River Dolphins in the Ganga, Yamuna, Chambal, Gandak, Ghaghara, Kosi, Mahananda and Brahmaputra systems, and a small population of Indus River Dolphins in the Beas. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar accounted for the largest numbers, followed by West Bengal and Assam, highlighting the critical importance of the Gangetic basin for long-term dolphin conservation.

The ongoing survey follows the same standardised methodology as the previous exercise; however will additionally cover new stretches and operational areas to include a new species, the Irrawaddy dolphin, estimation in Sundarbans and Odisha. This expanded spatial coverage will help update population estimates for this species, assess threats and habitat conditions and support improved conservation planning under Project Dolphin.

- ANI