Dolphin survey in Padma, Jamuna
Dolphin's Splash . Photo: Courtesy
Centre for Advanced Research in Natural Resources and Management (CARINAM) is conducting a survey in the Padma and Jamuna rivers to identify the hotspots for the rare dolphins (shushuk) to protect them. The South Asian River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) or shushuk in Bangla is listed as an endangered species in IUCN's Red List in 2010. Water abstraction upstream, decrease in river depth, and the appearance of sandbars during winter season in these rivers cause danger to the dolphins, as the river is divided into small segments which in turn increase the intensity of fishing and river traffic. Water pollution due to release of untreated effluents from industries and accidential and intentional dolphin capturing also pose major threats for its survival. The survey is being implemented as a part of a project "Wetland Biodiversity Rehabilitation Project (WBRP)" following a negotiation on development cooperation between Bangladesh and Germany in April 2008, says a press release. The overall goal of the project is to implement INRMS (Integrated Natural Resource Management System) through wetland dependent people's contribution to secure and restore biodiversity and their livelihoods in wetland and floodplain areas in three upazilas (Bera, Santhia, and Sujanahar) of Pabna.
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