Laba KC
Other projects
30 Mar 2021
Conservation of Ganges River Dolphin through the Involvement of Local Youths as Citizen Scientist in Koshi River, Eastern, Nepal
The Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) receives global concern regarding its conservation status. In Nepal, they are listed as critically endangered, with fewer than 100 individuals remaining in Koshi, Narayan and Karnali rivers due to several anthropogenic activities (extensive fishing, pollution, etc.) coupled with low level of awareness among river-dependent communities. This project will focus on the Koshi River within the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR), a protected area under Nepal's National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1973.
This project builds upon our previous project (Rufford-Small-Grant: 33200-1) based on gaps, learning, and achievements and will stand as vital response to address concerns identified in our previous studies. Our previous study recorded 22 (18 adults and 4 sub-adult) dolphins in Koshi emphasizing the challenge of protecting them, as most of their habitats are located outside protected areas in human-dominated landscapes with numerous prevailing threats. The project broadly focuses on following objectives:
• Updating information regarding dolphin numbers and prevailing threats, assess the water quality, and prey assessment in the Koshi River.
• Training and mobilizing 10 community members as River Guards for regular dolphin monitoring and conservation efforts.
• Engaging 2000 students and 1000 community members via conservation outreach programs adopting a participatory-based approach.
The project is anticipated to update existing information on the status, ecology, and habitat dynamics of River Dolphins in Koshi River, enabling us to generate robust data as well as acquire baseline data of prey (fish) and water quality. Recognizing the extensive range of dolphins beyond the protected areas, the project strongly emphasizes community involvement that can play a pivotal role in safeguarding the habitat of dolphin. For this, the project aims to create a trained group of River Guards that engages in the regular monitoring of dolphins and their habitats, records any illegal activities and acts as first responders to any awful activities that have negative impacts on the dolphin. An array of outreach programs (community and school) has been designed, emphasizing in school programs such as producing quarterly wall magazines, and devising educational materials (poster, animated videos). A school art-competition related to the theme of dolphin conservation will be organized during the dolphin day and the best pictures will be collated to produce a children’s storybook- “Dolphin from the eye of Children”. We aim to reach out to wider communities and students, strengthening their knowledge on the dolphin and its conservation, promoting co-existence in their actions.