Conservation of Indus River Dolphin in Pakistan: A Review

Transcription

1 World Journal of Fish and Marine Sciences 8 (1): 68-73, 2016 ISSN IDOSI Publications, 2016 DOI: /idosi.wjfms Conservation of Indus River Dolphin in Pakistan: A Review Rabail Urooj, Khanorangah Achakzai, Sana Zulfiqar and Asma Jabeen Department of Environmental Sciences, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan Abstract: Present review paper highlighted e current status of endangered Indus River Dolphin specie in Pakistan. Different addressed and non-addressed reats to e Indus Dolphin has discussed under wide spectrum. WWF and SWD are two main bodies which are involve in conservation and regulation of Dolphin population in Indus River. Different standard meods for population estimation are using by concerning departments for data records, since Though, e problems are solved by e conservation efforts of ese departments to some extent. But still ere are so many oer factors, which might be responsible for declining in its population in coming future, need to be address. Key words: Indus Dolphin Climate Parameters WWF Fragmentation INTRODUCTION same species due to close resemblance in structure [10]. This conflict could be only clarified by using some The Indus river dolphin (Platanista gangetica modern molecular sequencing techniques. Until and minor) locally known as Bhulan and Blind River unless e genetic makeup of ese bo species is Dolphin, is one of fresh water dolphin [1-3]. This unique not identified, it would be difficult to classify e species specie is endemic to Indus region of Pakistan, listed as e on specie level. Currently most organizations have most reatened endangered species in Red list of IUCN identified it as single species (Platanista) wi two [4]. Historical records found at Indus Dolphin was subgroups: e Platanista gangetics gangatics of India present in entire Indus river in past, but now due to e and Platanista gangetica minor of Pakistan [3, 11, 12]. habitat fragmentation, its population is divided into The main reason behind failure of detail comprehensive various subpopulation on basis of Indus river tributaries. taxonomic study is e political conflict between two Presently, Indus Dolphin is existing wiin 1000km stretch countries. of river [5]. The Indus river dolphin is fresh water mammal History revealed at in 18 and 19 century, journals as it feed its young ones wi milk, comes out of water for were highlighting e hunting list of different fauna by breaing like mammals. Its shows some unique British officers. This list was never included e Indus characteristic; side swimming, echochelation and carrying dolphin, apparently targeted by hunters in Indo-Pakistan of its offspring s on its back are e behavior which are sub continents [13]. But some published research studies not shown by any oer fresh water species of dolphin indicated at Indus dolphins were hunted for e sake of [6]. However Indus dolphin is considered one of e most food and oil by indigenous people for several centuries similar species to Ganges river dolphins. Due to very [9, 14-16]. It has been reported at in e mid-eighteen close morphological resemblance in bo species, its century indigenous people were used to catch dolphin classification always remains a matter of conflict among wi e help of trained otters in shallow water at e point scientist [7]. Until 1970 e Indus and Ganges river of Sukkar [17]. Similarly, in 1915 anoer study described dolphins were suggested as single species. But in early in detail e meod of dolphin capturing by using trained 1970 its classification was reverted on e basis of some otter. People constructed a platform in shallow water and dissimilarity, ese two species were regarded as two attached a fish wi stake and releases otter to produce totally different species [8, 9]. Validation of existing sound. Upon response to sound dolphin come closer to classification was questioned in 1998 which en replaced stake and hunters cast eir net over dolphin and capture by pre 1970 s classification, which depicting at bo are it [18, 19]. Corresponding Auor: Rabail Urooj, Department of Environmental Sciences, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Cell:

2 Different international organizations like World Indus River Dolphin is categorized most endangered Wild Fund for Nature (WWF); Whale and dolphin species in Pakistan since 1976 under e Appendix I of conservation society (WDCS); United Nation CITIES and protected animal according to wildlife Development Program (UNDP) along wi Sindh and legislation at provincial level under category of high Punjab Wildlife Departments are working for Indus protection enlisted in Schedule III [2, 46-49]. Dolphin Conservation. Up to January, 2015, ree surveys When Indus dolphin declared protected species in were conducted by WWF by five years interval since early 1970 under Punjab, KPK and Sindh Wildlife Act en 2001 [20-22]. Photo identification and distance sampling wiin few years legal prosecution ceased hunting in are e meods not used for capturing Indus Dolphin Sindh and population of dolphin began to show because it leads to less precision and accuracy [23-28]. increase in number [50]. Whereas anoer step taken by In 2005, researcher used Mark recapture meod for Indus government was at area of 190km between Sukkar and Dolphin sampling [29]. This meod was also followed by Guddu barrage where maximum dolphin population living, many researchers for sampling of different animals and was declared as Indus Dolphin Reserve in plants [30-32]. After banning hunting of Indus dolphin, anoer Smi et al. [33] studied two different species of present facing challenge is to protect is specie from Indus Dolphin in order to evaluate and assess eir status pollution [51]. According to Directorate of Land across e existing rivers in Bangladesh by using Reclamation Punjab, only 8% wastewater is treated and concurrent counts meod. One was Irrawady Dolphin remaining waste water run in to main water streams [52]. (Orcaella brevirostris) and oer is Ganges River Dolphin For instance, is untreated water from industries pollute (Plantanista gangetica gangetica). Furer insight in is e bank of Indus River water and cause baits deas in work revealed at is meod leads to inaccuracy and massive quantity, which ultimately effect dolphin number, very less precision. Limitation of is research work was because supply food (fish) for dolphin decline due to requirement of an independent team for survey and pollution. Along untreated water, pesticides from nearby resulted in lot of personal errors. This work was confined agricultural farming also pollute e river bank. By keeping to probability and estimation. According to e view is problem, WWF and Sindh Agriculture Extension recommended guidelines by Burnham and Anderson in Department (SAED) reduced pollution in Indus River by 2002, different models were also selected using Akaike s providing improving agricultural practices and building information meod for small sample sizes populations carrying capacity of local people [53]. [34, 35]. To account for uncertainty in model selection, if Habitat of Indus dolphin was fragmented by e best fitting models were separated by less an 2 AIC constructing barrages and dam, at s why in lower part (Akaike s Information Criterion) points, e population of Indus River Dolphins are no longer present because in size is usually averaged on e basis of eir normalized every year downstream water channel get dries up due to AIC weights [36]. Researcher worked in 2011 on water extraction [39, 54-56]. While it has been observed by identification of Indus Dolphin on basis of genetic researchers at some dolphins which go downstream variability. But is research is in process, it may be were unable to swim back upstream due to barrages and lending a hand towards reason behind Indus Dolphin strong water waves current. Some time when dolphin was abundance in Guddu to Sukhur Barrage [16]. stuck in irrigation canals, it went unreported in past and The decline in number of Indus dolphin has been Dolphin die wiout being rescued. But now since 2000 recorded since last few years [2, 3, 37]. The most Sindh Wildlife Department and WWF educated local prominent reats in current era to e species are high people and built community based rescue team which are load of pollution, Pesticides flow in to Indus River and engaged in rescuing dolphin from irrigation canals which habitat fragmentation [38-44]. Anoer key issue is spread over 37 ousand miles area. unsustainable fishing practices which are also imposing Still problem of Indus dolphin decreasing number is stress on Indus dolphin particularly e use of illegal nets intensified by Climate Change (CC) in current era. For for fishing. Sometime species is accidently trapped into instance, in August 2011 extreme flooding was came in e fishing nets. Illegal fishing is usually carrying out at Indus River basin caused dea of Dolphins and after night time, when fisherman laid down eir nets into river flooding researchers found many skeleton of Indus en Dolphin also get trapped which oftenly not rescued Dolphin in many places [57]. Anoer aspect by CC is by e fisherman and killed illegally and dumped weakening Monsoon Rain by El Nino effect in Pakistan somewhere around e bank of river [45]. lead to decrease Indus River flow rate and it is predicted 69

3 at it will reduce dramatically Indus River discharge 3. Reeves, R.R., B.D. Smi and T. Kasuya, wiin next 50 years [58, 59]. Two oer important Biology and Conservation of freshwater cetaceans in parameters necessary for population size estimation of Asia. IUCN dolphin in water are i.e. Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) 4. Klinowska, M., Dolphins, porpoises and whales and Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) which were not of e world: e IUCN Red Data Book. IUCN. studied so far and should be consider if declining is really 5. Inam, A., P.D. Clift, L. Giosan, A.R. Tabrez, M. Tahir, concerned. Like flooding in Pakistan during 2010, resulted M.M. Rabbani and M. Danish, The in a lot of point source discharge of waste water in rivers geographic, geological and oceanographic setting of especially in Indus River contributed towards increase in e Indus River. Large rivers: Geomorphology and BOD and COD. So correct population size estimation is Management, pp: very difficult for Indus Dolphin population because BOD 6. Herald, E.S., R.L. Brownell, F.L. Frye, E.J. Morris, > 4mg/L is unhealy for aquatic organisms and may be W. Evans and A. Scott, Blind river dolphin: first attributed to rapid decline in Indus Dolphin population in side-swimming cetacean. Science, New Series, all barrages of Indus River. The abundance of Indus 166(3911): Dolphin specie wiin Guddu and Sukhar barrage may be 7. Hamilton, H., S. Caballero, A.G. Collins and greater in number due to less BOD and COD i.e. <2mg/L. R.L. Brownell, Evolution of river dolphins. This recorded BOD and COD are according to e Proceedings of e Royal Society of London. Series permissible limit for estuaries and rivers, was also B: Biological Sciences, 268(1466): confirmed by oer researchers [60, 61]. 8. Pilleri, G. and M.U. Bhatti, Status of e Indus Moreover many oer factors are possible for Dolphin Population between Guddu Barrage and declining number of Indus Dolphin. Like majority of Hyderabad. Investigation on Cetacea: fisherman s depending on income generated from fishing 9. Pilleri, G., Field observations carried out on e are illiterate (62, 63). Indus Dolphin Platanista indi in e winter of Investigations on Cetacea, 4: CONCLUSION 10. Yang, G., K. Zhou, W. Ren, G. Ji, S. Liu, R. Bastida and L. Rivero, Molecular Systematics of River It has been concluded from present review at Indus Dolphins Inferred From Complete Mitochondrial River Dolphin is endemic specie of Pakistan. Different Cytochrome-b Gene Sequences. Marine Mammal international and national organizations have working in Science, 18(1): collaboration on conservation of Indus River Dolphin and 11. Reeves, R.R., B.S. Smi, E.A. Crespo and eir efforts have been succeeded in conserving its G. Notarbartolo di Sciara, Dolphins, Whales population to some extent. But still Indus Dolphin is and porpoises: Conservation Action reatened species due to e non-addressed issues, like Plane for e worlds Cetaceans. IUCN/SSC Cetaceans climate change and water quality parameters, which speciliest Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and adversely affects its population size. So it is need of time Cambridge, UK. to address ese issues and carry out proper monitoring 12. Rice, D.W., Marine Mammals of e world. of Indus dolphin habitat properly rough involvement of Systematic and distribution. Special distribution technical department and enforced legal action against Number 4. Society for Marine Mammology. illegal hunting and killing. 13. Braulik, G.T., Conservation Ecology and Phylogenetics of e Indus River dolphin (Platanista REFERENCES gangetica minor): PhD Thesis, repository.standrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/3036, 1. Sinha, R.K. and G. Sharma, Current status of e retrieved on 12 November, Ganges river dolphin, Platanista gangetica in e 14. Anderson, J., Anatomical and zoological rivers Kosi and Son, Bihar, Indian Journal of Bombay researches: comprising an account of e zoological Natural History Society, 100(1): results of e two expeditions to western Yunnan in 2. Reeves, R.R. and A.A. Chaudhry, Status of e 1868 and 1875 and a monograph of e two cetacean Indus River dolphin Platanista minor. Oryx, genera Platanista and Orcella. Bernard Quaritch, 32(1): Piccadilly, London. 70

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