Freshwater

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000: WWF deeply concerned over deaths of vulnerable Yangtze finless porpoises - WWF - Conservation news: Rivers, Lakes & Wetlands
Beijing – WWF is deeply concerned over the reported deaths of over 32 vulnerable Yangtze finless porpoises since the beginning of the year, and is working with authorities and local communities to prevent the tragedy from reoccurring.

Since 3 March 2012, more than 32 porpoises have been found dead in Dongting and Poyang lakes - nine of them over a one-week period.

The only freshwater finless porpoise in the world, the Yangtze finless porpoise lives mainly in the Yangtze River and two large lakes – Dongting and Poyang – and the recent spike in deaths is raising concerns that the rare animals are being pushed closer to extinction.

“This tragedy shows that Yangtze finless porpoise is facing enormous challenges,” said Lei Gang, head of WWF China’s Central Yangtze programme. “The porpoise deaths illustrates that without effective measures to fundamentally reverse the trend of ecological deterioration, future of the incredible creature is far from certain. We have to act immediately.”

Illegal fishing, accidents part of the blame

Analysis of the deaths reveal an a long list of culprits thought to be pushing the rare species’ numbers down, including electrofishing, which uses electricity to stun fish before they are caught, accidents with boat engine propellers, food shortages and poison.

An April 17 autopsy report from the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences shows that two Yangtze finless porpoise were killed by
electrofishing and boat engine propellers.

Additional claims that pollution is to blame for the porpoise deaths require further investigation, and no exact deadline has been set for the results.

There is presently little evidence to point to food shortage as a cause of death, but some experts say that climate change, which has affected Yangtze water levels, is making it increasingly for the porpoises to find food.

A 2006 survey from the IHB found about 1,800 Yangtze finless porpoise in the Yangtze River and connected lakes, with a decreasing rate of 6.4% each year. From 2006 - 2010, the number of Yangtze finless porpoise in Dongting Lake has decreased to 198, with an average decreasing rate of 7.9% each year.

Solutions

China’s Ministry of Agriculture and the Yueyang municipal government have accepted recommendations from leading Chinese cetacean experts with WWF input and are now considering immediate in-site conservation measures in Dongting Lake, as opposed to earlier suggestions to relocate the remaining porpoises elsewhere.

The local government has also promised implement a ban on illegal fishing, regulate sand dredging, and limit shipping speeds. Additional measures include better pollution control and increased investments in existing nature reserves.

“WWF welcomes central and local government’s commitments, and will work with experts to explore effective in-site conservation solutions,” said Mr. Lei Gang. “In-site conservation for the Yangtze finless porpoise should be prioritized in Dongting lake and Poyang lake, which house 1/3rd of the rare species’ population. As a backup, WWF is also exploring sites outside of the lakes as a salvage measure to help maintain a stable porpoise population in the future.”

In May 2012, WWF is planning to organize a dolphin survey in Dongting Lake with IHB to determine the current population size in Dongting. Based on the survey results, more concrete conservation measures will be proposed to China central and local government.

For more information contact

Zeng Ming (曾铭), Head of Press, WWF China, +86 10 6511 6298, mzeng@wwfchina.org
Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000: WWF-India is awarded the ‘Ground Water Augmentation Award-2010’ by the Government of India - WWF - Conservation news: Rivers, Lakes & Wetlands
New Delhi: WWF-India’s Khangchendzonga Landscape (KCL) Programme has been awarded the prestigious ‘Ground Water Augmentation Award-2010’ by the Government of India for its work on springshed development in Sikkim, North East India.

Landscape Coordinator of WWF-India’s KCL, Ms. Priyadarshinee Shreshta was today presented with 100,000 Rupees and a plaque with a citation, by the Union Cabinet Minister for Water Resources and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr. Pawan Kumar Bansal at the valedictory session of the ‘India Water Week and National Ground Water Congress’ being held this week in New Delhi.

The award is given every year for innovative practices of ground water augmentation and WWF-India was nominated by the Government of Sikkim for support provided to the Dhara Vikash Programme of the government’s Rural Management and Development Department (RMDD).

Nearly 80% of rural households in Sikkim depend on mountain springs as a source of drinking water, and these springs have been drying up over the years.

Degradation in the catchment area from increased anthropogenic pressures has previously been identified as the primary cause for drying up of springs in the past; an emerging new threat is climate variability.

Understanding the need for working for the revival of these springs, the Springshed Development or Dhara Vikas programme was conceptualised in 2008 by the RMDD in partnership with WWF-India and other NGOs to sustainably develop and rejuvenate the mountain springs in the state of Sikkim.

The primary objective of the Dhara Vikas programme is to ensure that the surface runoff of rainwater in the springshed area is reduced and more water percolates down to recharge the underground aquifers, thus resulting in increased discharge of the springs. The programme was also conceived as a climate adaptation strategy for the villagers dependent on these springs.

The actual implementation in the field was undertaken through the flagship programme of the Government of India, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act or rural employment guarantee scheme.

Eight drought prone areas in the South and West districts of Sikkim were initially selected for implementing the programme on a pilot scale.

With technical support from the People’s Science Institute, Dehradun, WWF-India facilitated the training of master trainers consisting mainly of field facilitators, who would undertake the Dhara Vikash or springshed development programme in their own areas.

The training included the use of GPS, identification of the catchment areas and measuring and monitoring the spring discharge. Exposure trips to the states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, where similar ground water recharge initiatives had been undertaken were also organised.

Based on the success of the pilots the Dhara Vikas programme is now being scaled up by the state government to include larger catchment areas that would benefit multiple downstream springs and streams simultaneously.

WWF-India continues to support the State Government of Sikkim in independently monitoring the discharge data at the different spring sites.

WWF also recognises the wonderful partnership between RMDD and SIRD, ACWADAM, PSI, and above all the local communities which made the Dhara Vikas Program such a great success.