Dibrugarh, May 12: A young researcher from Dibrugarh University’s department of life sciences has been chosen by British Petroleum to spearhead its Gangetic river dolphin conservation programme in Assam. Abdul Wakid is one of 29 conservationists from 25 countries to be selected from a list of 350 to conduct the campaign to save the globally endangered species. The yearlong programme is scheduled to get under way in October.
Known as shihu in this part of the country, the population of the Gangetic river dolphin in the Brahmaputra has dipped because of various factors. A mere 266 dolphins were found during a survey by conservationists R.S. Lal Mohan, B.C.Dey, Satyen Roy and S.P. Boiragi in 1992-93. No such study has since been conducted to ascertain the population of this endangered species.
Excited at the prospect of working on the British Petroleum project, Wakid, 29, said: “This is a rare opportunity for us to do something for the conservation of this beautiful creature.”
The research scholar is at present engaged in the study of the habitat and behavioural ecology of the Gangetic river dolphin in and around the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, which spans the districts of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia.
Wakid will be attending a three-week workshop in the UK from May 26. The workshop will be held in conjunction with the Royal Geographical Society and the UK Field Studies Council. The training will cover subjects such as conservation education, habitat assessment and vegetation, risk assessment, geographic information systems and public relations.
British Petroleum’s world-wide conservation programme is a collaborative effort with four NGOs: Birdlife International, Fauna and Flora International, Conservation International and Wildlife Conservation Society. The programme focuses on “development of new-generation conservation leaders” to save globally endangered species.
Each year, young conservationists working in different fields are selected for the task, trained and given financial awards and logistical support. In the 18 years since its inception, the British Petroleum programme has spawned as many as 210 new-generation conservation leaders from 64 countries.
Wakid said the world might have woken up to the plight of the Gangetic river dolphin a bit too late. “The species was once common in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli river systems of India, Nepal and Bangladesh, but its population declined rapidly in the past two decades. It is estimated that there are only about 2,500 dolphins in the entire system at present.”
The Gangetic river dolphin is one of four species of freshwater dolphins. The other three are the Amazon dolphin, which is found in the Amazon and Orinoco river basin of South America, the Yangtze river dolphin found in the Yangtze river system of China and the Indus river dolphin, which inhabits the Indus river system of Pakistan.
The Yangtze dolphin, with a total population of just about 100, is listed as a “critically endangered” species.