Dolphin Friends network: Prayagraj volunteers protect Gangetic dolphin
Why in the news
Prayagraj’s forest department formally started a volunteer network that links scientific conservation with the knowledge of people living by the river.
Key facts
- Initiative: Dolphin Friends (Dolphin Mitras), a participatory conservation model.
- Species: Gangetic River Dolphin, Platanista gangetica, called the ‘Tiger of the Ganges’.
- Status: Endangered (IUCN Red List); India’s National Aquatic Animal.
- Method: river monitoring is decentralised, not left only to departmental patrols.
How the network works
- Volunteers who live and work along the river act as the department’s ‘eyes and ears’.
- They report sightings, threats and changes to the habitat in real time.
Exam angle
- Launched by: Prayagraj forest department.
- Scientific name: Platanista gangetica.
- IUCN status: Endangered; national status: National Aquatic Animal.