The Punjab Government is set to start the Census of Indus River dolphin, the most threatened species.
Highlights:
Platanista gangetica minor is the scientific name for the Indus River dolphin.
It’s a freshwater dolphin that lives in the Beas River.
The census will begin in the winter as part of a central government operation.
Punjab’s wildlife preservation wing, on the other hand, will go a step farther and safeguard not only dolphins but also their natural habitat.
The project will take five years to complete.
It will focus on gathering data on species spatial and temporal distribution patterns, as well as population status, using a well-established and authorized approach.
The Indus River dolphin is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s red list (IUCN).
In 2007, a viable population of Indus dolphins was identified in Punjab’s Harike wildlife sanctuary along the lower Beas River.
Since its discovery, the Punjab Department of Forests and Wildlife Preservation has been undertaking studies on the habitat utilization, current distribution, and population of dolphins in collaboration with the WWF-India.
The Indus River dolphin was named the Punjab State Aquatic Animal in 2019.
Extension initiatives will be arranged by a group of dedicated persons known as the ‘Beas-Dolphin Mitras’ of the river Beas under Punjab’s initiative.
Dolphin eco-tourism will also be a part of the project.