River Watch GCA & WWF Recently the GCA has teamed up with Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) India, Jiwaji University, and relevant Forest Departments to form the RiverWatch Program, which is evolving into a holistic project with long term action plans for all important river taxa and the conservation of river basins as ecological units. Its primary focus is the health of Indian rivers and threatened riverine species. RiverWatch will utilize the combined efforts, expertise, and resources of WWF and GCA to achieve common goals.
RiverWatch realizes that if our rivers are to survive, an integrated conservation plan is needed. The focus of RiverWatch is on habitat protection, bringing together conservationists working for all river fauna, including the highly endangered Ganges river dolphin, smooth coated otters, mahseer and several species of endangered freshwater turtles, under one umbrella. Based in the WWF-India office in Delhi, RiverWatch is working to prioritize river conservation by drafting Management Plans for the various Protected Areas along river systems, developing and strengthening the policy and legislation for Integrated River Basin Management and lobbying for their implementation. While it will coordinate between departments such as Irrigation, Fisheries and Forest, RiverWatch will also network with our neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. It will campaign against over-harvesting of fish and water as well as any construction on rivers that works to the detriment of its habitat and fauna. It hopes to formulate guidelines for river ecotourism as well as promote use of safe fishing gear and teaching fishermen how to deal with accidentally captured gharial and dolphins. RiverWatch will collaborate with national and international partners in conservation, research and education to achieve its goals.
