Securing a safe future for Bangladesh’s river dolphins

The Ganges River Dolphin and the Irrawaddy Dolphin are two of the 10 dolphins and whales that call Bangladesh home. While the freshwater Ganges River Dolphin is endangered, the Irrawaddy Dolphin, which lives mainly in estuarine rivers, is also in trouble.

Therefore, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has adopted the Action Plan for the Conservation of Ganges River Dolphin and Irrawaddy Dolphin of Bangladesh (2021-2030) and initiated a project to expand the protected area system for the conservation of important aquatic ecosystems.

With the support of the Global Environment Facility through UNDP Bangladesh, many national and international NGOs have already reached out to translate this plan into action.

Dolphins are becoming extinct because they are entangled in gillnets and because they are deliberately killed for baiting and use as genetic medicine.

– Dr Mokhlesur Rahman, Centre for Natural Resources (CNRS)

The current threats to cetaceans in Bangladesh are collisions by heavy water traffic, entanglement in nets, deliberate hunting for oil, sedimentation, reduction of freshwater flow, pollution, dam construction, salinity intrusion, etc., as stated in a report by the Forest Department.

It is believed that while Bangladesh has a great diversity of dolphins, these amazing aquatic creatures will soon become extinct if the current situation is not addressed.

The Ganges River Dolphin and the Irrawaddy Dolphin are recognized as two keystone species for the river ecosystems in the country. The former lives in all our major river systems such as the Padma, the Jamuna, the Meghna, the Sangu-Karnaphuli and the northern rivers of the Sundarbans.

Irrawaddy dolphins are fairly tolerant of salt water. Their habitat includes the waters of the southern Sundarbans, all coastal rivers and the mouth of the Bay of Bengal.

Why should we protect dolphins?

The dolphin is a crucial index species in river ecosystems to assess the status of biological biodiversity. It may eventually help to understand the situation of other aquatic flora and fauna.

The presence of dolphins is a sign of good health of any river ecosystem. However, due to our collective negligence, the Ganges River Dolphin is now locally extinct in several tributaries like Kushiara, Dharala, Karatoa etc. This has happened in the last three to four decades.

The recently formulated Dolphin Conservation Action Plan highlights these issues and updates knowledge on dolphin distribution, the importance of dolphins in aquatic ecosystems, threats to dolphins, potential impacts of climate change on dolphins, and measures to address these challenges.

Dolphins in the Bengal

Historically, the Ganges River Dolphin was present throughout the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers, and all their tributaries extending from the estuaries of the Bay of Bengal to the foothills of the Himalayas.

An impression of the distribution of the Ganges river dolphins across the Indian subcontinent can be found in the Baburnama (c. 1500 AD), where the Mughal emperor Babur described them as ‘water-hogs spread over all the Hindustani rivers’.

The famous French naturalist and zoologist Georges Cuvier went one step further and said that the ‘susu’ ascended the Ganges in such large numbers that these animals restricted their navigability.

The Ganges River Dolphin was first scientifically reported in 1801. It is one of three extant obligate freshwater dolphins. The fourth, the Yangtze River Dolphin, has been declared functionally extinct.

The Irrawaddy dolphin, named after the Irrawaddy River (present-day Ayeyarwady) of Myanmar, has many features that place it in the family of oceanic dolphins. However, its biology is not well understood.

The brackish water-loving Irrawaddy dolphin is found in the coastal areas of three rivers in Southeast Asia, namely the Ayeyarwady, the Mekong and the Mahakam (Indonesian Borneo).

Interestingly, the largest population of Irrawaddy dolphins in the world is reported from the open estuarine waters of the Bangladeshi coasts. The rivers of the Sundarbans have about 451 individuals, although the number of individuals along the entire Bangladeshi coast is still unknown.

Our rivers, our dolphins

Bangladesh is the largest delta country in the world. The Bengal Basin is blessed by the Ganges, the Brahmaputra and the Meghna. The entire delta is formed by the accumulation of sediment from the three major river systems.

During the monsoon the area turns into one big swamp.

We also have a very extensive undulating river system, namely the Karnaphuli-Sangu system. In addition, the Sundarbans and the complex coastal estuaries provide some of the best habitats for river dolphins.

Still much more to do

Dolphins are protected under the Bangladesh Wildlife (Protection and Security) Act 2012, in line with the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) of 1992. Bangladesh now has six wildlife sanctuaries, notably for river dolphins in the Sundarbans and the confluence of the Padma and Jamuna rivers.

But these sanctuaries together cover only 1,648 hectares. Such areas in our rivers need to be expanded and there should be connections between them.

Section 37 of the Wildlife (Protection and Security) Act 2012 specifically mentions the statutory punishments for killing or possessing dolphins or dolphin derivatives (dolphin ivory, oils, etc.). These punishments can extend to four years in prison and a fine of Tk2 lakh.

However, so far there is no plan to address the negative human-dolphin interactions in Bangladesh.

“Dolphins are becoming extinct because they are entangled in gillnets and because they are deliberately killed for baiting and use as genetic medicine,” said Dr. Mokhlesur Rahman of the Centre for Natural Resources (CNRS), an environmental organization in Bangladesh.

The connection between humans and dolphins is also broken, often causing unintended retaliation. “To raise awareness about dolphin protection as enshrined in Bangladesh’s national legislation, we have already installed 10 billboards and two electronic display boards under our ‘Expanding the Protected Areas System to Incorporate Important Aquatic Ecosystems (EPASIIAE)’ in our project areas,” he added.

“We hope to create lasting awareness among ordinary people about the importance of dolphins and the existing legal mechanisms that address the issue of dolphin protection through extensive education and campaign programs under our EPASIIAE project,” said Anisul Islam, Director of CNRS.

The conservation plan for the Ganges River dolphin and the Irrawaddy dolphin in Bangladesh has given hope.

Audity Falguni works in the B4RL project of CNRS