26 May 2006 - Katmandu, Nepal
– Six months of field research conducted by WWF
along Nepal’s longer river, the Karnali, shows
that river dolphin populations are stagnant and
remain more endangered than ever.
River dolphins are some of the
most endangered of all the world's cetaceans.
Due to habitat loss, hunting by humans, and naturally
low numbers, they are extremely vulnerable to
extinction.
Formerly quite abundant, the
overall population of Ganges river dolphins (Platanista
gangetica) is reduced to probably fewer than 100
dolphins in Nepal, with the group of about 20
in the Karnali River.
“Dolphins in the Karnali face
the threat of local extinction unless conservation
efforts are stepped up immediately,” said Dr Chandra
Gurung, WWF Nepal’s Country Representative.
“The situation requires urgent
action because dolphins, being at the top the
food chain, are indicators of a healthy aquatic
ecosystem.”
The WWF Nepal study — Status,
distribution and conservation threats of the Karnali
River dolphin — will be discussed at a two-day
regional meeting on the conservation and management
of river dolphins in Asia, being held in Kathmandu,
Nepal, from 26–27 May.
