Critically depleted gharial needs ongoing river protection to survive

A new assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN has shown that the gharial a rare crocodilelike reptile is still highly dependent on conservation efforts to survive in the wildThe recent study highlights the protection of freeflowing rivers which the gharial depends on for breeding feeding and livingThe IUCN Green Status of the gharial Gavialis gangeticus has rated it as Critically Depleted meaning it is still far from recovery across its historical range in India and Nepal However the species is still around today because of conservation work done in the pastThe Chambal River in India is currently the only place where gharials are breeding successfully in large numbers with thousands living in nearly 500 kilometres of protected river In other places across the Ganges River system gharials only exist in small scattered groupsThe distinctive gharial is unlike any other animal found on Earth today although related to crocodiles they differ in appearance and behaviour They show remarkable sociality including communal care of hatchlings in huge creches of 100s and 1000s of young However such large creches can be found in few places today Only the Chambal population in India continues at a selfsustaining functional level consisting of several thousand individuals inhabiting nearly 500 kms of protected river In the 1970s the species dwindled toward extinction and has remained on the brink ever since It survives elsewhere only in isolated small populations scattered across the Ganges basin of Nepal and IndiaPicPhoebe Giffith Himalayan Gharial ProjectldquoGharial are a very weird crocodilian with their long snouts and the bulbous lsquoghararsquo structure on the end of the snouts of the huge adult malesrdquo says Dr Phoebe Griffith assessment coauthor and researcher at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries Germany and research fellow at Himalayan Nature Kathmandu ldquoFrom an ecological and evolutionary perspective they are quite unique Additionally looking back through the history of south Asia you can spot gharial swimming through artworks for the last 5000 years This shows the species is also a critical piece of cultural heritage that people have shared rivers with for thousands of years It is only with the emergence of largescale river infrastructure initiated in the colonial period and continuing into the modern day that everything started to go wrong for gharialrdquo Griffith saidBut the same rivers they rely on are under threat Dams barrages canals water removal sand mining and getting caught in fishing nets are all problems for the species Gharials need natural riverbanks for nesting and many of these are being lost or damagedThe Green Status does not just measure how close a species is to extinction like the Red List does mdash it also shows how far the species is from full recovery and how much it still depends on conservation Gharials scored high for their Conservation Legacy because past efforts clearly helped But they also scored high for Conservation Dependence meaning they still need strong protection and active help to survivePicPJailabdeen A Gharial Ecology Project MCBTExperts say that restoring rivers protecting key areas and working with local communities are the most effective ways to help gharials recover Captive breeding and releasing young gharials into the wild can help in some cases but protecting natural habitats is more important in the long runDr Griffith said the NarayaniGandak river system in Nepal is one area with strong potential for recovery mdash but only if better conservation plans are put in place ldquoOne of the most promising examples is the communityled nest protection work happening in the Rapti River where local people help protect nesting areasrdquo she said ldquoYoung gharials are now being seen more often there mdash something that was very rare just ten years agordquoCoauthor Jailabdeen A Director of the Gharial Ecology Project said Identifying the spatial units that continue to be inhabited by gharial and ranking these on the bases of adult numbers breeding success and intact protected riverine habitats is key to setting priorities Conservation actions need to be strategically focused where these will have maximum impact And dont forget riverside communities need to be included as major players in such efforts