Abdul Wakid
Other projects
14 Mar 2006
Involvement of Major Stakeholders of Assam in the Conservation of Gangetic Dolphin in Brahmaputra River System, India
14 Nov 2013
Securing the Future of Gangetic Dolphin in Brahmaputra River System (India) through Local Community Engagement and Empowerment
This project is aiming to conserve the Ganges river dolphin in Brahmaputra river system with the active involvement of local communities residing in and around identified and prioritized dolphin habitats. As an effort to that, an experimentally developed community-based Dolphin Conservation Network will be strengthened; its effectiveness will be increased and will make it into a sustainable conservation programme.
Gangetic dolphin.
There is less than 300 individuals of the endangered Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) surviving in the Brahmaputra river system within India and have been facing severe threats of extinction due to various factors especially of anthropogenic origin. To reduce these anthropogenic threats, especially poaching and accidental killing through fishing net entangle, a community-based Dolphin Conservation Network (DCN) was developed in 2006-07, which started to work from 2008. This DCN regularly monitored 30 most prioritized dolphin habitats with the help of a group of 30 trained and highly motivated community youths.
This Network showed exceptional results in 2008-09. For the success of this effort, in this project we are going to strengthen this community-based dolphin conservation effort. In order to achieve our aims, we will set up advanced training and increase involvement of DCN members; introduce a standardised boat-based dolphin monitoring system; increase linkages with fishermen and management authorities and set up site-based intensive community awareness campaigns.
A River Dolphin Watch Program will be introduced in order to make the effort sustainable and for long term conservation of the species in Brahmaputra river system.