About Endangered Dolphins !!!!!!!!!

A species of rare dolphins is in grave danger. These dolphins are blind and so small that people can pick them up in their hands. They have inhabited Pakistan's main river the Indus for thousands of years. Now, with only 600 left, these dolphins are threatened with extinction. They get caught in fishing nets and are killed by hunters who extract their oil.

To try and save these unique blind dolphins, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is funding a project that involves local people working on the Indus River in conservation efforts. An environmental group, the Adventure Foundation of Pakistan, is working with the UN to give people an economic incentive to protect this endangered species.

Fishermen are now offering boat safaris for tourists to see the dolphins and learn about their habitat. The Foundation, which is aided through a UNDP project financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is also studying the possibility of moving the blind dolphins to another part of the Indus or to nearby rivers.

Other dolphin species in different regions also need protection. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) works with governments around the world to identify biodiversity-rich areas and designate specially protected areas for wildlife. For example, in the Caribbean and other regions, UNEP is supporting projects to protect the marine environment, making it safer for dolphins and whales.

Many people on holiday love to see dolphins perform at marine parks. However, the proliferation of "dolphinariums" aimed at the tourist industry is a big concern. Many are unsafe for dolphins, which die after a very short period only to be replaced by more dolphins.

UNEP is trying to promote awareness of the problem so conditions improve for dolphins in captivity. UNEP guidelines advocate dolphin conservation and prohibit their captivity, unless education and management programs are also included. The Eastern Caribbean Cetacean Network (ECCN) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare both have ties to UNEP's work under the Caribbean Environment Programme.

The UN is sponsoring other efforts to protect and manage the habitats of marine mammals. An action plan, launched by the United Nations led to the Barcelona Convention, to protect the Mediterranean Sea.

The Mediterranean has been abused for decades. Industrial waste is poured directly into the sea, urban wastewater is discharged without treatment and oil tankers leave their mark with a trail of pollution. The fishing grounds are relentlessly exploited, while creatures such as the monk seal, marine turtles and dolphins are in real danger of disappearing. Today, all Mediterranean states, including the EU, are members of the Barcelona Convention.

As part of the global effort to protect the planetâs biodiversity, UNEP administers one of the world's largest conservation agreements-the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES. Adopted in 1973, it became international law two years later.

More than 150 governments have ratified the treaty, which offers varying protection to more than 35,000 species of animals and plants, depending on their condition in the wild and the effect that international trade may have on them. CITES bans international commercial trade in species threatened with extinction, such as cheetahs, tigers, the great apes, many tortoises and birds of prey. It also protects other species, which are not threatened, but may be at serious risk unless international trade is strictly regulated.

Photo:http://www.orgsites.com/ca/i-love-dolphins/_pgg1.php3