Govt finalises the ‘Dolphin Conservation Action Plan’

The government has approved the ‘Dolphin Conservation Action Plan’ to protect the habitat of dolphins, said environment, forests and climate change minister Md Shahab Uddin.

The plan was approved at a meeting of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change chaired by the minister on Tuesday, reports UNB.

In addition to the ‘Dolphin Conservation Action Plan’, ‘Fund Management Guidelines’, ‘Dolphin Atlas in Bangladesh’ and ‘Management Plan for the Ganges River Dolphin in Halda River’ have also been approved subject to some amendments.

Speaking on the occasion, the environment minister said that the ‘Dolphin Conservation Action Plan’ would play an effective role in reducing the decline in the number of dolphins in rivers and coastal areas and in protecting the habitat of dolphins.

‘Dolphin Atlas in Bangladesh’ will help people to know the whereabouts of Gangetic and Irrawaddy dolphins in the winter.

The minister said that in addition to protecting dolphins and their habitats, the ‘Management Plan for the Ganges River Dolphins in Halda River’ would also serve as a guide for the authorities in dolphin conservation.

The ‘Fund Management Guidelines’ have been formulated so that the Dolphin Conservation Team can make proper use of the funds provided by the government and carry out dolphin conservation activities for a long time.

Deputy minister of environment and forests Begum Habibun Nahar, secretary of the ministry Md Mostafa Kamal were among those present.