- Hong Kong Carbon Reduction Campaign
- Global forest carbon research
- Securing water supply in China's heartland
- Taking direct action
- Saving the Freshwater Gharial in the Ganges
- Cleaning up the Ganges
- Untangling our understanding of lianas and climate change
- The Panama Canal Watershed Experiment
- Protecting the Ganges: Interschool Recycling Workshop
- Cooking on natural gas in the Yangtze
- Tackling illegal deforestation
- Johannesburg's Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit Project
- Baicheng wind farm project
Saving the Freshwater Gharial in the Ganges
The River Ganges is a magnificent holy river which provides water for hundreds millions of people and has a wealth of biodiversity. However heavy pollution, unsustainable water withdrawals and climate change are seriously affecting the water on which people and iconic species, such as the freshwater gharial, rely.
Climate challenge
The gharial is a fresh water crocodile endemic to the Indian subcontinent, which has survived from the great reptilian age. In the 1940's its population stood at between 5,000 and 10,000. In 1997, only 436 breeding adults were recorded and by 2006 their numbers plummeted to 182. Today the gharial is critically endangered, surviving in only four tributaries of the Ganges. Key threats are habitat destruction caused by dams, water abstraction, fishing nets and pollution.
Insight and action
WWF-India's Living Ganga Programme, funded by the HSBC Climate Partnership, aims to tackle the threats posed to the gharial and other species through scientific research, community involvement, demonstration projects and high level policy work. Under the biodiversity conservation component of the programme WWF has led direct species conservation work. During 2009 and 2010, 195 captive bred gharials were released into the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary, in the Upper reaches of Ganges. Local people have assisted the process by taking steps to protect the gharial habitat, helping with monitoring and encouraging community support for the programme.
Outcomes
In June 2010 WWF surveyed a selection of the reintroduced gharial. 64 individuals (or 33% of the introduced population) were weighed and measured. The monitoring showed that the gharials are growing and developing well. Further gharial releases took place in December 2010 and early 2011. WWF will continue to observe their recovery in the Ganges. This reintroduction constitutes a signifi cant step forward and a vital contribution to the species’ revival.
It is great that Gharials have been reintroduced in this stretch of the river. We – local villagers – are ensuring that no illegal mining or fi shing – activities that can adversely impact the Gharials habitat are carried out in the area.
Chaman Singh, Village Head, Kishorepur
The HSBC Climate Partnership is a five-year environmental programme between HSBC, The Climate Group, Earthwatch Institute, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and WWF. It aims to reduce the impact of climate change on people, forests, freshwater and cities and accelerate the adoption of low-carbon policies.
