Project description
Advanced technology for river dolphin conservation
Freshwater ecosystems represent 1 % of the Earth’s surface, but they host 10 % of all known species. The construction of gated dams in south Asia represents a constant threat for river dolphin populations as well as other river megafauna, making freshwater species more endangered than those in terrestrial or marine habitats. River dolphins are the most threatened today due to their habitat division by gated dams. The EU-funded RIDDLE project will measure the dimensions and assess the consequences of the problem and test solutions to understand river dolphin population connectivity in rivers fragmented by dams. The project will apply acoustic and biotelemetry technology at key gated dams in south Asia to observe and measure dolphin movements through the dams.
Objective
This Fellowship application is crafted to bring together cross-disciplinary expertise and technology to help solve the challenge of sustaining river dolphin populations and other aquatic megafauna in dammed and regulated rivers. This is based on the recognition that freshwater habitats occupy only 1% of the Earths surface yet support 10% of all known species, but that freshwater species are now even more endangered than those in marine or terrestrial ecosystems. Freshwater dolphins are one of the most threatened mammal groups; listed as endangered or critically endangered in all places they occur, and the cause of their decline is attributed to habitat fragmentation by gated dams. The goal of this work is to quantify the extent, evaluate the consequences, and pilot solutions to understand and address river dolphin population connectivity in rivers fragmented by dams. To accomplish this acoustic and biotelemetry technology will be adapted and deployed at key gated dams in South Asia to monitor and quantify dolphin movement through the dams and two new options that have the potential to prevent river dolphins from passing through dam gates will be trialled. The results will have applications on the ground for the management of endangered riverine species, and the technological component has broader applications in assessing and potentially mitigating the impacts of marine engineering projects on the aquatic environment.
The work falls at the interface between marine and freshwater ecology and will be conducted under the guidance of Dr Simon Northridge in the Sea Mammal Research Unit at the University of St. Andrews. The ability to move from my current research post in Tanzania into a vibrant academic community within the EU will allow me an unprecedented opportunity to diversify my technical skills and to collaborate with and learn from researchers from a range of disciplines from both within the university, and other academic and non-academic environments.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy cetology
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
KY16 9AJ ST ANDREWS
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.