---
title: "Project Dolphin: India's Conservation Scheme"
description: "Project Dolphin is India's 2020 initiative to conserve the endangered Gangetic dolphin, crucial for biodiversity and river health."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/project-dolphin"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Project Dolphin is an Indian government conservation initiative announced in 2020 to protect riverine and oceanic dolphins, principally the endangered Gangetic dolphin.
- What legal protection does the Gangetic dolphin receive under Project Dolphin?
- How does Project Dolphin differ from Project Tiger?
- What is the National Dolphin Research Centre?
- What are the principal threats to the Gangetic dolphin?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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## Timeline

1. 15 August 2020

   Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the initiative from the ramparts of the Red Fort during his Independence Day address on .

2. 5 October 2009

   The legal scaffolding is reinforced by the species' 2009 designation as the National Aquatic Animal, a status conferred by the National Ganga River Basin Aut…

3. 5 October 2020

   On , India observed its first National Ganga River Dolphin Day, an annual marker since the 2009 national-animal designation.

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Example

On 15 August 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Project Dolphin from the Red Fort during his Independence Day address, committing India to protecting riverine and oceanic dolphins over a ten-year horizon.

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