Indus River Dolphin | 18 Nov 2021

Why in News

Recently, Punjab's wildlife preservation wing has batted for conservation of Indus river dolphins and also their natural habitat.

• The Indus river dolphin was declared the State aquatic animal of Punjab in 2019.

Key Points

• About:
  
  • Scientific Name: Platanista gangetica minor
  • According to a recent study of South Asian river dolphins, Indus and Ganges River dolphins are not one, but two separate species. Currently, they are classified as two subspecies under Platanista gangetica.
  • Like other freshwater dolphins (such as Ganges river dolphins) , the Indus river dolphin is an important indicator of the health of a river.
  • Other dolphins found in Indian waters include: Ganges River Dolphins, Irrawaddy dolphins.
• Habitat:
  
  • They can only be found in the lower parts of the Indus River in Pakistan and in River Beas, a tributary of the Indus River in Punjab, India.
• Threats:
  
  • Biological Resource Use: Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources.
  • Natural System Modifications: Dams & water management/use.
  • Pollution: Domestic & urban waste water, Industrial & military effluents, Agricultural & forestry effluents.
• Conservation Status:
  
  • International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN): Endangered.
  • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species(CITES): Appendix I
  • Indian Wildlife (Protection), Act 1972: Schedule I
• Steps Taken:
  
  • Enumeration of freshwater dolphins is being undertaken as a nationwide project of the Central Government.
  • Project Dolphin: Announced on the eve of Independence Day in the year 2020, it will be on the lines of Project Tiger, which has helped increase the tiger population.

Source: TH