Pakistan expands protected habitat for Indus River dolphin as recovery offers hope

Pakistan's government created the Punjnad Indus River Dolphin Sanctuary in June 2026, protecting nearly 200 kilometers of river in Punjab and connecting to an existing Sindh sanctuary for a combined 400-kilometer protected stretch. The Indus River dolphin, an endangered species that lost roughly 80% of its historical range to dams and irrigation barrages, fell to just 617 individuals in 2001 before recovering to nearly 2,000 by the mid-2010s.

Researchers say gillnet entanglement caused 52% of documented dolphin deaths between 2008 and 2023, much of it tied to commercial fishing contracts in Punjab that incentivize maximizing catch. The new sanctuary is meant to bring formal regulation to that stretch of river for the first time, complementing Sindh's protections dating to the 1970s.

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