Estimation of riverine dolphins begins from UP’s Bijnor

New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) To take forward the conservation of dolphins, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change rolled out the second rangewide estimation of riverine and estuarine dolphins under Project Dolphin from Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor, an official said on Saturday.

The dolphin population data comes close to the release of population estimation result of the first round by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the National Board for WildLife (NBWL) at Gir in March last year, the official added.

Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav had launched the second round of pan-India population estimation of dolphins and their estimation protocol at Dehradun during last wildlife week.

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

A regional training workshop for forest staff from 13 districts of Uttar Pradesh was held on Friday 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 commenced with 26 researchers in three boats, recording ecological and habitat parameters, and using technologies such as hydrophones for underwater acoustic monitoring, a statement said.

In the first phase, the survey will cover the main stem of the Ganga from Bijnor to Ganga Sagar and the Indus River.

In the second phase, it will cover Brahmaputra, the tributaries of the Ganga, 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,” the statement said.

This initiative will generate robust scientific data to support evidence-based conservation planning and policy action for India’s river ecosystems.

“The previous nationwide survey (2021–23) recorded an estimated around 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,” the statement added.

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, it will additionally cover new stretches and operational areas to include a new species, 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, the statement said.

–IANS

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