DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

River dolphins are a group of freshwater cetaceans that inhabit various river systems across Asia and South America. The Six Surviving River Dolphin Species include: Amazon, Ganges, Indus, Irrawaddy, Tucuxi, and the Yangtze finless porpoise.The Chinese river dolphin was deemed 'probably extinct' in 2007.

As per the IUCN Red list, Yangtze finless porpoise are classified as Critically Endangered.Amazon, Ganges, Indus, Irrawaddy and Tucuxi are labeled as Endangered.

Note: The Yangtze finless porpoise is the world’s only freshwater porpoise but it is included with the other freshwater cetaceans under the umbrella name ‘river dolphins’.

The Amazon river dolphin also known as the pink river dolphin or boto is the largest river dolphin.

About Gangetic River dolphin

The Ganges river dolphin was officially discovered in 1801.They were declared as the National Aquatic Animal of India in 2009.

Freshwater species:The Gangetic river dolphin is one of the four freshwater dolphin species in the world.

The other three are the baiji, now likely extinct from the Yangtze River in China, the bhulan of the Indus in Pakistan and the boto of the Amazon River in Latin America.

Habitat:

• • Ganges river dolphins once lived in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.
    • But the species is extinct from most of its early distribution ranges.
  • The distribution range of the Ganges river dolphins in India covers seven states namely, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

Characteristics:

• • The Ganges river dolphins can only live in freshwater and are essentially blind.
  • They are frequently found alone or in small groups, and generally a mother and calf travel together.
  • Females are larger than males and give birth once every two to three years to only one calf.
  • The Dolphin cannot breathe in the water. It surfaces every 30-120 seconds to breathe in fresh air as it is a mammal.
  • Navigation and hunting through a highly developed ‘sonar system’, using echolocation (ultrasonic sounds).

Different names:

They are also known as Susu, Hihu, Blind dolphin, Ganga river dolphin, side swimming dolphin and South Asian river dolphin.

They hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds, which bounces off of fish and other prey, enabling them to see an image in their mind.

IUCN Status: Ganges river dolphins are listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List.

Environmental significance

• They are an indicator of a healthy ecosystem.
• They are the apex predators in the freshwater food chain and their presence indicates that the water is clean and there is a good number of prey species such as fish, turtles, crustaceans etc.

Threats

• Dam creation, barrages, irrigation projects and fishing are activities that are dividing and isolating populations of the Ganga river dolphin, significantly reducing its range.
• Poachers kill them for their flesh, fat and oil. They are also sometimes injured by machines in the water or accidentally caught in fishing nets.

Global Declaration for River Dolphins

Recently, 11 Asian and South American countries signed a landmark deal in Bogota, Colombia to save the world’s six surviving species of river dolphins from extinction.This landmark deal signifies a ray of hope in combating the severe decline of river dolphin populations, which have dwindled by a staggering 73% since the 1980s.

Global Declaration for River Dolphins?

The Global Declaration for River Dolphins aims to halt the decline of all river dolphin species and bolster the most vulnerable populations through concerted efforts.It outlines measures such as eradicating gillnets, reducing pollution, expanding research initiatives, and creating protected areas to safeguard the remaining river dolphin species.

Countries that adopted the declaration include: Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Peru, and Venezuela.

There was also a representative from the regional government in Indonesia that has responsibility for the Mahakam river.

Foundational Pillars:

• • The eight foundational pillars of the Global Declaration for River Dolphins comprise initiatives like establishing a network of protected areas, improving river dolphin site management, expanding research and monitoring efforts, engaging local communities and Indigenous Peoples, eradicating unsustainable fishing practices, enhancing water quality and quantity, promoting World River Dolphin Day (24^th October) to raise awareness, and augment resource allocation and partnerships.

Challenges Faced by River Dolphins:

River dolphins are threatened by diverse factors, including unsustainable fishing practices, hydropower dam construction, pollutionfrom various industries, agriculture, and mining, as well as habitat loss.Also, the recent tragic deaths of over 150 river dolphins in the drought-stricken Lake Tefe in the Amazon illustrate how climate change poses an increasingly severe threat to their survival.

Successful Conservation Efforts:

Conservation efforts in populated river basins like the Indus and Yangtze have seen success.

• • • For instance, the Indus river dolphin population in Pakistan doubled due to joint stakeholder action.
    • Additionally, the Yangtze finless porpoises witnessed a 23% increase in numbers owing to protective measures.

Moreover, the World Wildlife Fund's electronic pinger project saved 80 dolphins in Indonesia's Mahakam river from gill net entanglement.

In a first-of-its-kind model of convergence, Kanger Valley National Park is working with a coalition of various organizations and government departments to prepare a landscape-based ecological restoration plan for the national park.

About Kanger Valley National Park

Location:

• • It is located in Jagdalpur, in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh state.
  • It is located on the banks of the Kholaba River (tributary of the Godavari River).

The National Park derives its name from the Kanger River, which flows in its length.It got the status of a national park in 1982.

• The average width of the park (north to south) is 6 km. while the average length (west to east) is 34 km. The area of the park is 200 square kilometers.
• The entire Park constitutes core area and there is no buffer zone.

Topography: It is noted for its highly heterogeneous land formations, ranging from low, flat, and gentle areas to steep slopes, plateaus, valleys, and stream courses.

• It is home to three exceptional caves, famous for their amazing geological structures: Kutumbasar, Kailash, and Dandak- Stalagmites and Stalactites.
• National Park is known for the presence of underground limestone caves with dripstone and floston. The stalagmites and stalactite formations are still increasing.
• Tirathgarh Waterfall is located in the park.
• The Park also has a sizable tribal population.

Flora: It is a typical mixed humid deciduous type of forest in which the Sal, Saugaun, teak, and bamboo trees are available in abundance.

Fauna:

• • Major wild animals include tigers, mouse deer, leopards, wildcat, sambar, chital, barking deer, langurs, jackals, rhesus macaque, flying squirrel, etc.
  • The aerial fauna at the park consists of common hill myna, red jungle fowl, spotted owlet, racket-tailed drongos, parrots, etc.

A recent study has uncovered two potential new species of lamprey fish in California waters.

About Lamprey Fish

• Lampreys are boneless, jawless fish with eel-like bodies that date back over 350 million years.
• They belong to a relic (primitive) group of jawless fish called Agnathans.
• They live in coastal and fresh waters and are found in temperate regions around the world, except Africa.
• Features:
  • They range from about 15 to 100 centimetres (6 to 40 inches) long.
  • Unlike "bony" fish like trout, cod, and herring, lampreys lack scales, fins, and gill covers.
  • They breathe through a distinctive row of seven pairs of tiny gill openings located behind their mouths and eyes.
  • Like sharks, their skeletons are made of cartilage.
  • Lamprey’s jawless mouth is a circular, fleshy sucker filled with hundreds of small teeth and a rasping tongue.
  • They are migratory fish, moving between fresh and saltwater to complete their lifecycle.
  • They spend most of their lives at sea and only move into freshwater to spawn and for their juvenile life stage.
  • They attach themselves to large animals like fish and whales using their sucker mouth. They feed as parasites, rasping into the host’s flesh with their sharp teeth and sucking out blood.

• The Zanskar River is a tributary of the Indus River.
• It originates from the Doda and Lungnak rivers, and flows entirely within Ladakh.
• The Zanskar River's headwaters are known as the Tsarap Chu, and originate from the snows of the Himalayas.

The river's entire catchment area is formed by glaciers.

• The temple is dedicated to the deity Veerabhadra, the fiery form of Lord Shiva. The temple is closely associated with the Ramayana. Top of Form
• It was built during the 16^th century, the architectural features of the temple are in the Vijayanagara style with profusion of carvings and paintings.

The Veerabhadra Swamy temple and the Nandi statue in Lepakshi, India were added to UNESCO's tentative list of world heritage sites in 2022.

• Prime Minister inaugurated aircraft manufacturing giant Boeing’s largest investment facility outside the USA in Bengaluru recently.
• It aims to be a cornerstone for partnership with the vibrant startup, private and government ecosystem in the country.

PM will also launch the Boeing Sukanya Program that aims to support the entry of more girl children from across India into the country’s growing aviation sector.