With Gangetic dolphin found in tributaries, new plan to focus on basin-wide conservation

Alarmed by the dwindling numbers of the Gangetic dolphin in the Ganga, scientists have identified stretches of the river for priority long-term conservation programmes to help revive the endangered species.

The Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica), endemic to the Ganga river, plays a crucial role in stabilising the ecosystem, regulating the energy flow of the river and maintaining the fish and crustacean populations.

Listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, its population has dwindled in recent years, especially in the upstream stretches of the river, with estimates pegging the numbers between 2,500 and 5,000 individuals.

A new study has assessed the distribution, numbers and habitat suitability of the Gangetic dolphin in the small rivers of the Ganga basin and proposed a basin-wide river conservation strategy for the species.

Following the dolphin

During the post-monsoon seasons (November-February) in 2022 and 2023, scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India and the government agency National Mission for Clean Ganga surveyed the tributaries and sub-tributaries of the Ganga river, covering a total linear stretch of 1,290 km.

They observed that the Gangetic dolphin inhabited most tributaries and sub-tributaries of the river and plotted priority conservation stretches along the Ganga basin. “We have provided evidence of these smaller rivers being a refuge for aquatic macrofauna such as...

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