India conducts first-ever Ganges River Dolphin tagging in Assam

The 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 (CAMPA).

On Wednesday, India achieved a milestone in wildlife conservation as the first-ever Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) has been tagged in Assam.

The 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 (CAMPA).

This is the first-of-its-kind tagging for the species and the historic achievement highlights the significant advancement of Project Dolphin.

The Ganges River Dolphin, India's National Aquatic Animal, is unique in its ecology, being nearly blind and relying on echolocation for its biological needs.

Approximately 90% of the species' population resides in India, historically distributed across the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli river systems.

However, 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 interventions.

Under 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 long-term 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 ecosystem.

Given the paucity of information on the Ganges River Dolphin, the green ministry decided to undertake satellite tagging of the species in it's distribution range.

The 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 systems.

"I am happy to share the news of the first-ever tagging of Ganges River Dolphin in Assam - a historic milestone for the species and India. This MoEFCC and National CAMPA-funded 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 Animal," said Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.

Wildlife Institute of India Director Virendra R Tiwari said that tagging river dolphins will contribute to evidence-based conservation strategies that are urgently needed for this species.

According 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 resources," Dr Kolipakam said.

The 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.