During the inaugural session of International Freshwater Dolphin Day 2018, speakers urged the government to declare the dolphin as Bangladesh’s flagship aquatic animal.
The three-day long event, inaugurated by the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud, at the Liberation Museum in Dhaka on Wednesday, will continue till Friday.
In the presence of the environment minister, the speakers said that since Bangladesh was the home of Asia’s last two remaining freshwater dolphin species – the endangered Ganges River Dolphin and Irrawaddy Dolphin – the country should declare them as their national aquatic animals in order to protect them.
“Bangladesh does not have an official national aquatic animal. If the dolphin is declared its national aquatic animal, that would help the conservation of the endangered creature,” said Raquibul Amin, Bangladesh’s country representative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The Bangladesh Forest Department, in collaboration with IUCN-Bangladesh, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) organized the event.
UNDP Bangladesh Country Director Sudipto Mukerjee said: “You have the Royal Bengal Tiger, which represents flagship animal of Bangladesh on the land. Let’s choose the dolphin as the flagship animal of the country of the life under water— which is Sustainable Development Goal [SDG] 14.”
Recommendations:
1. Expand protected area network to include dolphin hotspots
2. Conduct patrols and enforce laws
3. Ban gillnets from dolphin hotspots
4. Regularly monitor dolphin population trends
5. Implement long-term program to ensure healthy habitats and recover degraded habitats
6. Raise public awareness
Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud said he would place the issue before the cabinet to declare dolphin as the flagship aquatic animal of Bangladesh.
“If I could declare this, I would declare it here but the decision has to come from the cabinet. I will remember your request and place the matter before the cabinet meeting,” he said while addressing the event as its guest of honour.
He further said according to a survey, there are about 7,000 dolphins in Bangladesh. The government has been planning to conserve dolphins and increase their number.
“The increase and decrease in the number of dolphins reflects the level of water pollution. While concentrating on development and production in the country, we have ignored the consequences on the environment,” the minister said.
He added: “We have to protect and take care of our environment and nature. If we fail to do so, the aftermath would be negative for our future generations.
“Our prime minister [Sheikh Hasina] is fully devoted to conserving nature and several projects have been undertaken in this regard.”
Abdullah Al Islam Jakob, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change;as well as Abdullah Al Mohsin Chowdhury, the secretary of the ministry, also spoke at the event—chaired by Mohammed Shafiul Alam Chowdhury, the chief conservator of forest under the Forest Department.
Six dolphin hotspots identified in Bangladesh
On the basis of: dolphin abundance, co-occurrence of species, encounter rates, and the presence of calves, six dolphin hotspots have been identified across Bangladesh, according to Prof M Monirul H Khan, a zoology department teacher at Jahangirnagar University.
Prof Monirul, the keynote speaker at the event, said: “The hotspots have been identified in the: Sela-Supati rivers, Sibsa River, the estuarine area around Putney Island, Passur River, Baleshawr Estuary, and the Pankhali confluence—in total covering an area of 571 square kilometers.”
He said: “Besides, semi-hotspots for dolphins have been identified, covering a total of 411 square kilometers—areas which are in western Sundarbans.
“The hotspots should be protected and semi-hotspots should be maintained as buffer areas.”
In 2012, the government declared three spots in the Sundarbans as Dolphin Protected Areas (DPA) to support high densities of the creatures.
However, the organizers said that the entire mangrove ecosystem is facing increasing threats due to: exploitation, unsustainable resource harvesting and livelihoods, poaching, industrial development, maritime traffic, and unplanned tourism.
According to a survey under the EPASIIAE project, the key types and levels of threat for dolphins are:
Type of threat | Nature of threat | Contribution | Potential impact to dolphins |
Incidental killing by fishing net | Direct | 70% | High |
Poison fishing | Direct | 8% | High |
Decline of fish and crustaceans | Indirect | 6% | Medium |
Decrease of freshwater flow | Indirect | 6% | Medium |
Siltation | Indirect | 5% | Low |
Pollution | Indirect | 5% | Low |
Aiming to build the capacity, and increase the awareness, of the communities and other stakeholders for the effective management of DPAs, the Forest Department – with the support of IUCN and UNDP – is implementing an outreach, capacity building, and management plan. The plan is a component of the Expanding the Protected Area System to Incorporate Important Aquatic Ecosystems Projects (EPASIIAE) project for June 2018 to December 2019.
IUCN-Bangladesh’s Raquibul said: “Focused and diverse stakeholders will be made aware of, and will understand, the biodiversity of the mangrove ecosystem through different awareness and outreach: activities, events, campaigns, and fairs—like ‘Shushuk Mela’ festivals.”
Imperative to implement law to prevent dolphin killing
Experts at the event said the key reasons for dolphin killing include the indiscriminate use of fishing nets, the use of poison for fishing, and superstitions—such as using dolphin oil for one’s health.
They also urge the government to strictly implement the Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act 2012 to prevent dolphin killing in Bangladesh.
Prof Monirul said according the section 37 of the law: “If any person kills a whale or dolphin, he/she shall be deemed to have committed an offence and for such offence, be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or with a fine not exceeding Tk300,000, or with both.
“In case of a repeat offence, he/she shall be punished with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or with a fine not exceeding Tk500,000, or with both.”
“We need strict implementation of the law to prevent the killing of dolphins,” he said.
