RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE WORKSHOP ON OPERATIONALIZATION OF DOLPHIN ACTION PLAN, 2010-2020 Workshop jointly organized by National Mission for Clean Ganga & WWF-India (March 19-20, 2014)

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River Basins & Water Policy Team, WWF-India

Creative Curve Communication Pvt Ltd

Mr Suresh Babu, Director Dr Sandeep Behera, Policy Advisor (Aquatic Biodiversity)

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National Mission for Clean Ganga

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Mr Saumya Mukhopadhyay, Senior Environmental Specialist

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WWF-India, New Delhi, India

© Sanjeev Yadav/ WWF-India

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE WORKSHOP ON OPERATIONALIZATION OF DOLPHIN ACTION PLAN, 2010-2020 Workshop jointly organized by National Mission for Clean Ganga & WWF-India (March 19-20, 2014)

Acknowledgments The preparation of this report was made possible by the valuable inputs from all the participants of the workshop. We are also grateful to Prof. R.K. Sinha, Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Dolphin Action Plan and all the experts who chaired various sessions during the workshop for their inputs in developing the operational plan. We place on record, our sincere thanks to the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for the support in organizing this workshop. We also acknowledge the support and valuable contributions of Shri. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Mission Director, Shri Pushkal Upadhyay, Additional Mission Director, and other officers of the NMCG in developing the Operational Plan. We also thank Shri. Shiv Pal Singh, Joint Director (Wildlife Division), Ministry of Environment and Forest for his support. We acknowledge the contributions of the rapporteurs of various sessions—Ms. Ruchi Verma, Ms Loliya Mary, Ms. Lochan Alag, Ms Bhawna Sharma and Mr Neeraj Gehlawat (from NMCG) and Dr. Hari Singh (WWF-India). At WWF-India, we are highly obliged to Mr. Ravi Singh, Secretary General and CEO, Dr. Sejal Worah, Programme Director and River Basins Team for their unparalleled support.

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Contents

MESSAGE: Mission Director (NMCG)

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MESSAGE: SG & CEO WWF-India

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CHAPTER 1: Background

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CHAPTER 2: The Operational Plan 19 2.A: Overall Matrix for Operationalization of Dolphin Action Plan, 2010–2020 25 2.A.1: Short Term Action (2014–2015) 25 2. A. 2 Long Term Action (2014-15) 29 ANNEXURE: Proceedings 35

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MESSAGE: MISSION DIRECTOR (NMCG)

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MESSAGE: SG & CEO WWF-INDIA Ganga river dolphin is one of the last three surviving river dolphin species in the world and there is a realization that conservation of this charismatic species is crucial to the welfare of the Ganga river ecosystem. Recognising this, during 2010 the Government of India prepared a Dolphin Action Plan 2010-2020 (DAP) which listed down several strategies to address the threats to the species and its habitat-fragmentation of river by dams and barrages, pollution from agriculture, cities and industries and indiscriminate fishing to name a few. However the challenge was with the implementation of DAP and despite being declared as the National Aquatic Animal there was a declining trend in the population of Ganga river Dolphins. The two day workshop jointly organized by WWF-India and National Mission for Clean Ganga aimed at developing an operational plan for the DAP. I am glad that this workshop brought together leading dolphin experts, Government officials (Union and State) and NGOs and the Operational Plan presented in this report is an outcome of the insights from this dynamic group based on their years of field experience on conserving the dolphins. WWF-India’s work has shown that where government and communities work together, positive conservation impacts and changes are possible. We hope National Mission for Clean Ganga, the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, State Governments, technical Institutions and NGOs will find this report useful in taking up action on ground to conserve the Ganga river dolphins, thereby rejuvenating the Ganga. Ravi Singh Secretary General & CEO WWF-India

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© DR. SANDEEP BEHERA/ WWF-INDIA

GANGES RIVER DOLPHIN IS CONSIDERED THE MASCOT OF A HEALTHY AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT

Soruce: IGCMC/ WWF-India

Chapter 1: Background

CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND

Background: The Ganges river dolphin, (Platanista gangetica

gangetica), is one of the most charismatic mega-fauna of the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the four obligate freshwater dolphins found in the world; the others are the ‘bhulan’ (Platanista gangetica minor) in the Indus River in Pakistan, the ‘Beas’ (Lipotes vexillifer) in the Yangtze River in China, and the ‘boto’ (Inia geoffrensis) in the Amazon River. The ‘baiji’ was reported to be functionally extinct in 2006.

Ganges river dolphins, considered the mascot of a healthy aquatic environment, are in dire need of help. Often called the “Tiger of the Ganges”, the river dolphin is an indicator species, which has the same role in a river ecosystem as a tiger does in a forest. The Ganges river dolphin is distributed in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Their total population is estimated to be 3500 (in 2014) individuals in its entire distribution range, of which more than 80% is within Indian territory (Source: Sinha S. Kannan). This species has been included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), in Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), and is categorized as ”endangered” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. The Prime Minister of India declared the Ganges river dolphin the National Aquatic Animal in the First Meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) on October 5, 2009. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) subsequently notified that the Ganges river dolphin is the National Aquatic Animal on May 10, 2010 and constituted a working group to prepare a conservation action plan for the preservation of the Ganges river dolphin. The river dolphins have also been granted “non-human personhood” status by the Government of India, making India the first nation in the world to recognize their unique intelligence and self-awareness. India has also banned dolphin shows. All Indian States have been advised by the Government to reject proposals to hold dolphin shows or open dolphinariums. The Conservation Action Plan for The Ganges River Dolphin 2010-2020

The river dolphins have also been granted “non-human personhood” status by the Government of India

Construction of dams, barrages, indiscriminate fishing, and increasing river pollution have continued to pose a threat to their well-being. To address these and other threats to Ganges river dolphins and their habitats, the Indian Government’s Ministry of Environment & Forests, constituted a six member working group under the chairmanship of Prof. R.K. Sinha on October 28, 2009 to prepare an action plan for the conservation of the Ganges river dolphin. The members of this working group included Dr. Sandeep Behera (WWF-India), Prof. B.C.Choudhary (WII), Dr. Gopal Sharma (ZSI), Prof. Sunil Choudhary (Bhagalpur University), P.R.Sinha (WII) and Dr. Anmol Kumar (MoEF).

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Chapter 1: Background

The working group submitted the Dolphin Action Plan 2010-2020, in 2010, recommending a number of specific conservation actions, including some directly related to management. The key recommendations of this report are as follows: Dolphin Action Plan 2010-2020 ACTION POINTS

Action 1

Action 2

Action 3

Initiating state wise Ganges Dolphin Population Status Surveys including threat assessment

Setting up of Protected/ Community reserves/No Go Areas/ Conservation Areas for Ganges river dolphins

Capacity Building for Ganges River Dolphin Conservation and Management

IDENTIFIED ACTIONS -Status surveys need to be conducted in identified critical and gap areas at least once or twice a year depending upon local conditions, minimum for consecutive three years. This will help in preparing state wise national population status report for the entire Ganga basin. -The concerned Chief Wildlife Warden of each range state should take initiative in consultation with the experts to conduct surveys using standardized survey methods. Initially the surveys should be conducted by local scientists / experts. This will help in preparation of a Ganges River Dolphin Status Report including threats to prepare a benchmark document. [Action: State CWLWs; Timeframe: immediate] -Based on the status survey results and identification of river stretches that support breeding population of Ganges River Dolphin and other associated aquatic fauna, states need to be encouraged to propose workable and manageable Protected/ Community Reserves/No go Areas/Conservation Areas under the provisions of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. The CWLWs of states in the Ganges river dolphin may seek the support and help of professional institutions/organizations for developing such proposals in a consultative manner as many professional organizations may have already identified such stretches. -Establishment of Trans-boundary Protected/Conservation areas for Ganges river dolphins may also be considered between India, Nepal and Bangladesh. [Action: CWLW, Gangetic Basin States and MoEF] -Even though the endangered River Dolphins are found in the Ganges and Brahmaputra basin, there has been very few comprehensive research work nor regular status surveys. Universities and other institutions in India need to be supported to develop programmes to study Dolphins and their habitat condition. In addition to establishing dedicated Centres in Ganges Basin for Dolphin research, identified institutions may need to be supported for conducting training programme for frontline protection staff as well as university researchers and teaching staff on research methodologies. Some of the identified organizations who could take up such capacity building programmes in various regions are WWF-India, Wildlife Institute of India, Patna University. The MoEF may also need to initiate a National Dolphin Conservation Project on the lines of Project Tiger and Project Elephant to ensure continuous funding support for capacity building and other conservation efforts. -System has to be developed for guiding and adopting the research scholars by the peers for encouragement of the guided research and development activities on Ganges river dolphin. [Action: MoEF, Ganges Authority. Time: immediate]

Action 4

TISS: Tata Institute of Social Science

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Minimizing Fisheries Interface and Incidental Capture of River Dolphins

-There is a serious need for review of the existing fisheries practices, legislations and Acts. Also there is a need for developing a sustainable fishery management compatible with River Dolphin and other aquatic fauna. Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI), Barrackpore or TISS, Mumbai could take up this as a national review with help of each of the state level fishery department. [Action: NGRBA. Time: immediate]

Chapter 1: Background

Dolphin Action Plan 2010-2020 ACTION POINTS

Action 5

Prevention, Mitigation and Restoration of Impacts on Dolphin Habitats from Developmental Projects

Action 6

Community Involvement in River Dolphin Conservation and Management

Action 7

Ensuring Critical Environmental Flow in Riverine Habitats of Dolphins

IDENTIFIED ACTIONS -Intensive Development projects proposed in the river basins that have direct impacts on Dolphins and their habitat need to be identified. EIAs of such projects need to focus and indicate the possible impact of the proposed activities on dolphins. Based on experts’ advice such projects may be revised. Specific funds should be allocated for such mitigation measures in consultation with the experts. -Based on historical distribution range of Ganges river dolphins, identify stretches where the habitat has been altered to a suboptimal level. A model Dolphin Habitat Restoration Project in such stretches may be explored and initiated. [Action: NGRBA] -The involvement of fisher folks and other river bank communities is essential for Dolphin conservation. There have been some initiatives in this direction such as ‘Dolphin Mitra’ in Bihar and ‘Community based Dolphin Watch Programme’ in Chilika Lake. Communities involved in such activities with benefit sharing options such as ‘River Cruise’ or ‘Dolphin watch programme’ with proper guidelines may help popularize Dolphin Conservation & Management Activities. -Similar such ‘Dolphin Watch’ programme in the Ganges basin may be developed with adequate/appropriate guidelines and Environmental safeguards. Organizations such as Patna and Bhagalpur University, WWF-India and WII may be entrusted to develop and implement such model programme through development of appropriate mechanisms including involvement of National and State Tourism Organizations. [Action: NGRBA, State Tourism Departments. Time Frame: Two Years] -The survival of the Ganges river dolphins and a host of other Aquatic Wildlife is dependent on the riverine ecology in general and the maintenance of an optimum waterflow. Based on systematic and continued research and regular monitoring with the involvement of hydrologists and other multi-disciplinary professionals, critical environmental flow and depth for all River Dolphin habitat be determined and management action set in place to ensure such flow and depth. [Action: Initiation of Study. Time frame: Three years]. -With the declaration of the Ganges river dolphin as the National Aquatic Animal and looking at its threatened status, there is a need to educate and increase the awareness level of all spectrum of the Society about the species and its habitat requirements and current threatened status.

Action 8

Education & Awareness

-Special attention be given by River Dolphin harboring states to set up Interpretation Centers along Ganges such as Patna in Bihar, Narora in Uttar Pradesh, Deori in Madhya Pradesh, are such ideal sites. -The communication materials such as films, poster, etc and media campaigns should also be given higher priority. Also there is a need of development of a dedicated portal (Website) for the Ganges river dolphin. [Action: Ganga Authority, Time frame: Five years]

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Chapter 1: Background

Dolphin Action Plan 2010-2020 ACTION POINTS

IDENTIFIED ACTIONS -The Ganges River dolphin being a critically endangered species, every single animal stranded or illegally captured are important source for the gene pool.

Action 9

Rescue & Rehabilitation of Ganges River Dolphin

-There have been instances of organization such as Patna University, WWF-India, Orissa Forest Department and West Bengal Forest Department rescuing such stranded Dolphins. However, rescue and rehabilitation of Dolphin is a specialized operation and there is a need to establish a Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre and specialized teams in the Ganges basin at appropriate locations. [Action: NGRBA and State Forest Department, Time frame: Five years] Based on the recommendations of the Ganges River Dolphin Conservation Working Group Workshop at Patna, focal themes of research have been identified and recommended for support by NGRBA, DST and other funding agencies. This action may include organization of national, regional, state level symposium, workshops and seminars for stock taking of success of conservation management efforts in the field. Some of the identified thrust areas of research are as follow: -Estimation of dolphin population/abundance and threats being faced by them in unsurveyed rivers or stretches of rivers to evaluate if the population is viable for long-term survival, and prepare management plan. It is also very important to assess local or disjunct (often due to dams or barrages or other barriers to dispersal) populations for viability and prepare management plan for each such population. -Develop and/or adopt the most appropriate and robust methodology for the population estimation of dolphins.

Action 10

Allocation and Initiation of Identified Research

-Develop methods for safe handling, sampling and rescuing Ganges dolphins. This should make reference to the importance of learning from experience both in India and Pakistan. -Assessment of habitat preference, Habitat characterization and determining the environmental flow for survival of the Ganges River dolphin -Studies on the movement and dispersal pattern of dolphin to assess the home range and habitat use utilizing the modern technologies such as satellite tracking and Acoustics. -Develop/adopt the health markers in this species to assess health status. -Continue pollution studies and estimation of toxic chemicals in the dolphin tissues using carcasses as and when available. -To - carry out researches to understand the Biology of the species such as natural breeding, feeding, assess prey base, social behaviour, anatomy etc. -Evaluation of the Genetic diversity of the species and development of in vitro systems such as cell lines to study effects of pollutants on the health and survival of dolphin as well as for the long term conservation. Action: MoEF, Time frame: Five years,

Source: Reproduced from Dolphin Action Plan 2010-2020.

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© NMCG

Chapter 1: Background

Implementation of the Dolphin Action Plan 2010-2020: The National River Conservation Directorate engaged the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), an NGO, as a Centre for Excellence for Ganges river dolphin Conservation Education Programme for a period of 2 years. From July 2010 to September, 2012, the programme was initiated in 20 locations across 4 states (Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal). Information Education and Communication (IEC) packages were developed in 4 languages reaching out to over 470 teachers and 1500 students. Based on the success of Phase-I, CEE has been considered as an Executive Agency (EA) of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for conducting a 3 year programme on “Educating schools and community for sustainable actions for conserving habitat of Ganga river dolphins along the Ganga River Basin (Phase-II)”. The project will have two components, namely a school component and a community component. While the recommendations with respect to education and awareness had been initiated, there was a delay in executing the remaining action points. In February, 2014, during a meeting chaired by Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Mission Director, the delay in operationalisation of the Dolphin Action Plan 2010-2020 was discussed. It was also decided to develop an operational matrix to implement the recommendations of the Dolphin Action Plan 2010-2020.

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CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS, BARRAGES, INDISCRIMINATE FISHING AND INCREASING RIVER POLLUTION HAVE CONTINUED TO POSE A THREAT TO DOLPHINS’ WELL BEING

© FRANCOIS PELLETIER/ WWF-CANON

© DR. SANDEEP BHERA/ WWF-INDIA

Chapter 2: The Operational Plan

CHAPTER 2: THE OPERATIONAL PLAN

A workshop on the “Operationalisation of Dolphin Action Plan 2010-2020” for the Ganges river dolphin (Platansita gangetica gangetica) in Ganga River was jointly organized by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and WWF-India from March 19 to 20, 2014 at WWF-India. Dolphin experts from across the country participated in the workshop to deliberate on key actions needed to implement the Dolphin Action Plan. The objectives of the workshop were: i. To develop an operational plan to implement the dolphin strategy and ii. To develop a unified methodology for dolphin census in river Ganga

© WWF-INDIA

The two-day workshop focused on developing an operational plan so that the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is in a position to implement the Dolphin Action Plan 2010-2020, engaging various stakeholders, including local communities, and helping

Shri Rajiv Ranjan Misra (Mission Director, NMCG), Dr. Genevieve Connors (World Bank), Mr. Ravi Singh (SG and CEO, WWF-India) and Shivpal Singh (Wildlife Division, MoEF) at the inaugural session of the workshop.

the species to prosper. This workshop brought together 46 experts from a various backgrounds, and included Government agencies, universities, Forest Departments, conservation NGOs, and members of the National Mission for Clean Ganga as well as the MoEF. The event also saw the participation of experts, specifically, from the World Bank, officials from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar Forest Departments, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Patna University, Bhagalpur University, Dibrugarh University, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), the MoEF, the NMCG, the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI), the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and Kanpur, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Envorinment (ATREE), WWF–India, the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), and other NGOs. In total, around 17 organizations and institutions were represented at the workshop.

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Chapter 2: The Operational Plan

2.A. Operational matrix: A Glance Workshop was organised around four thematic areas: Theme 1. Population surveys and threat assessment Theme 2. Protected areas and community engagement in conservation Theme 3. Capacity-building and emerging areas of research Theme 4. Addressing other ecosystem challenges

Theme 1. Population surveys and threat assessment: The Objective of the discussion was to discuss the following: • What are the different census methodologies in use? What can we learn from them? How do we design a unified protocol for population surveys and threat assessment? • How do we conduct a coordinated dolphin census in the Ganga on an annual basis? When, where and who would conduct these surveys? The workshop recommended that the Direct Count Method (IUCN survey protocol) be followed for dolphin survey for now till a unified alternative method is developed. (See Box: IUCN Survey Protocol) It was also agreed that annual surveys are to be conducted after the monsoons. During October to November, 2014, the first unified dolphin census will be conducted in the Ganga Basin. By March, 2015, the annual dolphin census report and a threat assessment report will be published by NMCG in collaboration with relevant State Forest Departments and technical institutions, Parallelly it was agreed to develop field test of a new survey methodology in identified river stretches. NMCG will call for proposals from competent technical institutions to implement this. It was also recommended that an acoustics-based survey methodology for population estimation be developed. Another significant recommendation was regarding the development of a centralised database and a portal on the river dolphin by December, 2014. NMCG will be the nodal agency for the same. Survey of the river dolphin has generally been conducted without rigorous application of a well defined survey method. As a result, virtually all available population estimates lack of measures of precision. Therefore, the workshop participants recommended that a particular method needs to be followed by all dolphin survey teams which can be the Direct Count Method developed by Smith and Reeves (2000) till the time unified alternative methodology is developed. Direct Count Method (IUCN survey protocol): To conduct a vessel-based visual survey for dolphins floating downstream, using motorized boats, two primary observers are required – one on the right and other on the left side of the vessel, to search visually at a 90º angle in front of the vessel. A third observer serves as a data recorder and also looks for dolphins when not filling the data form. Two independent observers are to be positioned behind the primary observer to record any sightings missed by the primary observers. Sightings made by primary and secondary observers are pooled for calculating the encounter rates and the best minimum abundance estimate is calculated. A Global Positioning System is used to record the distance travelled and geographical coordinates of dolphin sightings.

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Chapter 2: The Operational Plan

Group sizes are recorded according to the best, high, and low estimates, rather than an absolute count, which would not reflect the inherent uncertainty about the actual number of animals present in a certain area. “Low estimates” refers to the total counts of individual dolphins in a group, which has been discretely identified by – • simultaneous sighting • sighting at considerable spatial separation within a time interval short enough to preclude the occurrence of dolphin sighted previously at a new sighting point • sightings of animals of unambiguously different size classes such as neonates, juveniles, sub-adults and adults “Best estimates” refer to a consensus among different observers of the survey team, of their subjective individual assessment of the total number of animals present in a group, when sighting frequency suggests the total number of animals present is, in fact, greater than the low estimate. Under the circumstances of failure to reach consensus, only the lowest of the best estimates need to be considered. “High estimates” refer to the highest of individual assessment when consensus is not reached. The number of calves, defined as an individual