Context
- Recently, Our Prime Minister announced the Centre will soon launch Project Lion and Project Dolphin for the biodiversity conservation of these species on the lines of and to replicate the successes of Project Tiger launched in 1973.
About Dolphin
- focus on both river and sea dolphins.
- Gangetic dolphin is an indicator species, whose status provides information on the overall condition of the ecosystem and of other species in that ecosystem, for the Ganga ecosystem and is extremely vulnerable to changes in water quality and flow.
- IUCN-Endangered
- A WWF-India and the Uttar Pradesh forest department assessment in 2012 and 2015 recorded 1,272 dolphins in the Ganga, Yamuna, Chambal, Ken, Betwa, Son, Sharda, Geruwa, Gahagra, Gandak and Rapti.
Asiatic Lion
- a flagship species
- The ministry launched the Asiatic Lion Conservation Project in 2019
- confined to Gir National Park and its surrounding environs in Gujarat’s Saurashtra.
- Experts have called for reintroduction of Asiatic lions outside Gujarat for their long-term conversation.
- Kuno Palpur Sanctuary in MP is being considered for reintroduction of lions.
- IUCN status: Endangered
- Listed in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and Appendix I of CITES.
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