Conservation of Blind Indus Dolphin through Eco-tourism at Taunsa Barrage.
The Indus is among the great rivers of the world. It originates high in the mountains of Tibet and flows through Ladakh and Pakistan before ending at the Arabian Sea near Karachi.
On its 2000 miles journey it passes through the great Himalayas and Karakuram ranges, the fertile plains of Punjab and the vast deserts of Sind. It is blessed with a rich variety of wildlife throughout its journey. Among these are different species of resident and migratory birds, mammals, reptiles and fish. Particularly Indus Dolphin or ?Bhulan? as it is known in local vernacular, is a blind river cetacean endemic to Pakistan. It was once distributed throughout the Indus River System but now it is only found below the Taunsa Barrage upto Sakhar Barrage. Today it is one of the most endangered Cetacean species of the world. The main threat to its growth is due to the building of barrages, industrial and urban pollution and over fishing by local fishermen.
To investigate the status of this species, number of research studies and surveys have been carried out by various Government Departments, WWF-Pakistan and IUCN. But so far no efforts have been made to involve community of local fishermen in the process of its conservation. The fact is this that there is not much awareness about this important species among local people as well as general public.
Adventure Foundation of Pakistan is already running some boat safaris from Taunsa Barrage to Ghazi Ghat for Dolphin viewing and Bird Watching with the help of local community by using their traditional wooden boats which are environment friendly and do not create any disturbance in the natural habitat of the Dolphins. But due to lack of financial resources and long term involvement of local community the desired results have not been achieved.
It is envisaged if a community based ecotourism project is launched at Taunsa Barrage it could help a lot to create awareness about conservation issues among the local community as well as among visitors coming in this area. The income generating aspect of this project will motivate the fishermen community to understand the value of rich ecotourism potential of their area.
On its 2000 miles journey it passes through the great Himalayas and Karakuram ranges, the fertile plains of Punjab and the vast deserts of Sind. It is blessed with a rich variety of wildlife throughout its journey. Among these are different species of resident and migratory birds, mammals, reptiles and fish. Particularly Indus Dolphin or ?Bhulan? as it is known in local vernacular, is a blind river cetacean endemic to Pakistan. It was once distributed throughout the Indus River System but now it is only found below the Taunsa Barrage upto Sakhar Barrage. Today it is one of the most endangered Cetacean species of the world. The main threat to its growth is due to the building of barrages, industrial and urban pollution and over fishing by local fishermen.
To investigate the status of this species, number of research studies and surveys have been carried out by various Government Departments, WWF-Pakistan and IUCN. But so far no efforts have been made to involve community of local fishermen in the process of its conservation. The fact is this that there is not much awareness about this important species among local people as well as general public.
Adventure Foundation of Pakistan is already running some boat safaris from Taunsa Barrage to Ghazi Ghat for Dolphin viewing and Bird Watching with the help of local community by using their traditional wooden boats which are environment friendly and do not create any disturbance in the natural habitat of the Dolphins. But due to lack of financial resources and long term involvement of local community the desired results have not been achieved.
It is envisaged if a community based ecotourism project is launched at Taunsa Barrage it could help a lot to create awareness about conservation issues among the local community as well as among visitors coming in this area. The income generating aspect of this project will motivate the fishermen community to understand the value of rich ecotourism potential of their area.
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Project Snapshot
Grantee:
Adventure Foundation Pakistan
Country:
Pakistan
Area Of Work:
Biodiversity
Grant Amount:
US$ 41,167.00
Co-Financing Cash:
Co-Financing in-Kind:
US$ 7,457.00
Project Number:
PAK/99/05
Status:
Satisfactorily Completed
Project Characteristics and Results
Capacity - Building Component
Capacity of local groups to execute eco-tourism through boat safaris will be increased.
Promoting Public Awareness of Global Environment
The project will improve awareness of a globally threatened species through eco-tourism.
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SGP Country office contact
Mr. Chatro Khatri
Phone:
+92-22-2108073
Fax:
+92-22-2108074
Email:
Country Website
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