India conducts first-ever Ganges River Dolphin tagging in Assam

On Wednesday India achieved a milestone in wildlife conservation as the firstever Ganges River Dolphin Platanista gangetica has been tagged in AssamThe initiative undertaken by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change MoEFCC was implemented by the Wildlife Institute of India in collaboration with the Assam Forest Department and wildlife organisation Aaranyak with funding from the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority CAMPAThis is the firstofitskind tagging for the species and the historic achievement highlights the significant advancement of Project DolphinThe Ganges River Dolphin Indias National Aquatic Animal is unique in its ecology being nearly blind and relying on echolocation for its biological needsApproximately 9037 of the species population resides in India historically distributed across the GangaBrahmaputraMeghna and Karnaphuli river systemsHowever its distribution has drastically declined over the past century Despite its wide range significant knowledge gaps remain regarding this species owing to its elusive behavior it surfaces for only five to 30 seconds at a time posing a significant challenge in understanding the ecological needs of the species and for any scientifically sound conservation interventionsUnder the umbrella of Project Dolphin MoEFCC has funded through CAMPA and Wildlife Institute of India to undertake a comprehensive rangewide research to develop conservation action plan and fill existing knowledge gaps for the longterm conservation of the species Given that Ganges river dolphins are apex predators and serve as umbrella species for the river systems it is critical to ensure that they are protected as the species will ensure of the sustenance of the entire river ecosystemGiven the paucity of information on the Ganges River Dolphin the green ministry decided to undertake satellite tagging of the species in itrsquos distribution rangeThe first of the tagging took place in Assam where a healthy male river dolphin was tagged and released under utmost veterinary care The tagging exercise will help in understanding their seasonal and migratory patterns range distribution and habitat utilisation particularly in fragmented or disturbed river systemsldquoI am happy to share the news of the firstever tagging of Ganges River Dolphin in Assam mdash a historic milestone for the species and India This MoEFCC and National CAMPAfunded project led by the Wildlife Institute of India in collaboration with Assam Forest Dept and Aaranyak will deepen our understanding of conserving our National Aquatic Animalldquo said Environment Minister Bhupender YadavWildlife Institute of India Director Virendra R Tiwari said that tagging river dolphins will contribute to evidencebased conservation strategies that are urgently needed for this speciesAccording to Project Investigator Dr Vishnupriya Kolipakam this is a significant advancement in understanding the ecological needs of river dolphins which will help conserve critical habitats within these vast river ecosystems This is vital not only for aquatic biodiversity but also for sustaining thousands of people who depend on these resourcesrdquo Dr Kolipakam saidThe tagging was made possible by advancements in technology the lightweight tags emit signals compatible with Argos satellite systems even with limited surfacing time and are designed to minimise interference with dolphin movement Plans are underway to extend this initiative to other states inhabited by Ganges River Dolphins to build a comprehensive understanding of their population dynamics and habitat requirements