🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Many remaining gharial populations are confined to protected river stretches between major dams.
Large dams across South Asian rivers have altered flow patterns essential for gharial survival. Natural seasonal flooding once created expansive sandbanks for nesting. Regulated water releases now inundate or erode these sites unpredictably. Dams also fragment river systems, isolating populations that once interbred freely. Migratory fish patterns shift, reducing prey availability in certain stretches. The gharial’s limited terrestrial mobility prevents easy movement between disconnected waterways. Over time, isolated groups face genetic bottlenecks and reduced resilience.
💥 Impact (click to read)
River fragmentation changes not just geography but evolutionary possibility. A population trapped between dams cannot expand into former habitats. Genetic exchange declines, increasing vulnerability to disease and environmental stress. The river becomes segmented into biological islands. For a species already reduced in number, this isolation compounds extinction risk.
Infrastructure built for energy and irrigation now determines the boundaries of survival. The gharial’s evolutionary success depended on dynamic, free-flowing systems. When rivers stop behaving like rivers, specialized predators falter. Conservation strategies increasingly require integrated water management policies. Saving the species means redesigning how entire river basins function.
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