Project Dolphin is a

wildlife conservation Wildlife conservation refers to the practice of protecting wild species and their habitats in order to maintain healthy wildlife species or populations and to restore, protect or enhance natural ecosystems. Major threats to wildlife include habita ...

movement initiated in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

to protect the

riverine A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it run ...

and

oceanic dolphin Oceanic dolphins or Delphinidae are a widely distributed family of dolphins that live in the sea. Close to forty extant species are recognised. They include several big species whose common names contain "whale" rather than "dolphin", such as the ...

s. The project was initiated in 2021 by the

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is an Government of India, Indian government Ministry (government department), ministry. The ministry Portfolio (government), portfolio is currently held by Bhupender Yadav, Union ...

of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

History

After demands were made by wildlife activists for a project to save dolphins in India, Project Dolphin was launched as an

Indian government The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territor ...

initiative to conserve both

and

species in 2021. It was announced on 15 August 2020 during the 74th independence day celebrations by then

Indian prime minister The prime minister of India (ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the e ...

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

. The project is under the purview of the

Wildlife Institute of India The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is an autonomous natural resource service institution established in 1982 under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate change, Government of Indi ...

, an autonomous body of the

Activities and goals

India's dolphins are at risk of extinction due to a variety of factors, namely: stranding in canal systems, constructions of waterways, unchecked fishing activity using nylon nets, noise pollution from ships, amidst other factors. Project Dolphin involves a status monitoring of the species and their potential threats, in order to develop and implement a conservation action plan for protecting dolphins and the aquatic habitat. The project will provide financial support for conservation and anti-poaching activities. The project will also engage with local fishermen and other river/ocean dependent population to help improve the livelihood through other means. It also aims to create employment opportunities and leverage the same for tourism. As a part of the project, October 5th has been designated as "National Dolphin Day" by the environment ministry. As a part of the project, a dolphin breeding center for the Gangetic river dolphin is planned in the Bengal region in the stretch of the

Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

river between Farakka and Gangasagar.

References

{{reflist 2021 establishments in India Projects established in 2021 Wildlife conservation in India Conservation projects South Asian river dolphin

History

Activities and goals

See also

References