NEW DELHI: India has released its first-ever estimation report on riverine dolphins, revealing a total of 6,327 dolphins. This includes 6,324 Ganges River dolphins and three Indus River dolphins. The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has designated the Chambal River Conservation Zone as a Dolphin Conservation Zone to implement targeted protection efforts.Additionally, India has tagged 12 near-extinct Great Indian Bustard birds for the first time to study their reproductive behaviours.Project Dolphin was launched on 15 August 2020, with Rs 4.8 crore allocated under the CSS: Development of Wildlife Habitats.With local participation, it has conducted the world’s largest freshwater survey, covering 8507 km across eight states, 28 rivers by boat, and 30 rivers by road. The report doesn’t reveal the number of marine dolphins.In December last year, India achieved a ground-breaking milestone by successfully satellite-tagging the first-ever Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) in Assam under Project Dolphin.The report identified key dolphin hotspot states as Assam, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Lakshadweep. The MoEFCC has prepared a Comprehensive Action Plan (2022-2047) and shared it with relevant Ministries for execution. The plan focuses on species protection, habitat improvement, monitoring, patrolling, and awareness programs.
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