Source: Panda.org
Context: In a significant move to protect the world’s six surviving species of river dolphins, 11 Asian and South American countries have signed a groundbreaking Global Declaration for River Dolphins.
Need for such initiative:
River Dolphins are top predators in some of the world’s greatest river systems and important indicators of the river’s health. This initiative comes after decades of alarming population declines in river dolphins, with numbers plummeting by 73% since the 1980s due to various threats, including unsustainable fishing practices, pollution, habitat loss, and even the impact of climate change.
Aim of the declaration:
The declaration’s aim is to halt the decline and bolster the most vulnerable river dolphin populations through collaborative efforts.
Surviving species of river dolphins:
| Species | Habitat | IUCN |
| Amazon River Dolphin | Freshwater rivers in South America | Endangered |
| Ganges River Dolphin | Ganges and Brahmaputra River systems in India and Bangladesh | Endangered |
| Indus River Dolphin | Pakistan and River Beas (a tributary of the Indus River in Punjab) | Endangered |
| Irrawaddy Dolphin | Coastal areas in South and Southeast Asia, rivers including Ayeyarwady (Myanmar), Mahakam (Indonesian Borneo), Mekong, and Chilka Lake (India) | Endangered |
| Tucuxi Dolphin | Amazon River system in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru | Endangered |
| Yangtze Finless Porpoise | Yangtze River (the longest river in Asia) | Critically Endangered |
About Gangetic River dolphin:
