The pink river dolphin

The pink river dolphin

by | Aug 10, 2006 | Env & Geography

The survey, led by Colombian conservation NGO Fundación Omacha, with support from WWF, the Wildlife Conservation Society, Fundación La Salle and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, counted 33 pink river dolphins and seven gray river dolphins during an expedition through the Ecuadorian Amazon, along the Napo, Lagarto Cocha, Cuyabeno and Yasuni Rivers.

“We are pleased that we have sighted a good number of these vulnerable freshwater species,” said Fundación Omacha Director Fernando Trujillo, “but we are still very concerned about threats that are affecting overall population numbers.”

River pollution, deforestation, indiscriminate capture and incidental fishing are some of the factors affecting the South American river dolphins. Oil exploration is also a factor.

“Aquatic ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to direct and indirect impacts from this activity, mostly because it pollutes the rivers and increases the number of motor-driven vessels,” said Victor Utreras of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

“Dolphins are very sensitive to acoustic pollution and threatened by collisions with fast moving vessels.”

The South American river dolphin survey expedition, which consists of scientists from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela, started in May in the Venezuelan city of Ciudad Bolivar. Following the recent freshwater dolphin survey in Ecuador, another expedition will take place in the Meta River in Colombia in August, followed by two more in Peru and Bolivia in September.

The overall aim of the survey is to establish how many river dolphins there are in the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers and their tributaries.

“Along with estimates of river dolphin populations, we are also gathering as much information on potential threats and conservation status on the species in the areas we visit,” said Saulo Usma, WWF Colombia’s Freshwater Coordinator.

“This information will contribute to the design of management plans and specific conservation actions in the headwaters of the Amazon.”

END NOTES:

• The pink river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), also known as the boto, is found in lowland fast flowing, white-water rivers, clearwater or blackwater rivers. The species is also present in the largest tributaries, lakes, confluences and seasonally flooded forests. It depends on healthy fish populations for its survival. Historically, the boto has been spared human persecution because of the belief that it has special powers. Today however, it is increasingly viewed by fishermen as an unwanted competitor for fish. The boto can get tangled up in fishing nets, or suffer wounds by colliding with boats. In addition to spotting the pink river dolphin, scientists are also on the look out for the gray river dolphin (Sotalia fluviatilis) — a dolphin species darker and smaller than the boto, with a shorter snout and a distinctive triangular dorsal fin.

For further information:
Maria Ximena Galeano, Press Officer
WWF Colombia
Tel: +57 2 558 2577
Email: mxgaleano@wwf.org.co

Wipro in Outsourcing

by | Aug 10, 2006 | Business

Bangalore, August 08, 2006
Wipro Technologies, the Global IT Services Division of Wipro Limited (NYSE:WIT), today announced that findings from a survey, conducted jointly with Outsourcing Center, on trends in outsourced R&D revealed that global organizations see an increased value from outsourcing R&D functions and believe that it provides an opportunity to improve time to market. The survey, which was conducted among CTOs of global companies who are subscribers of Outsourcing Center portal, sought to understand key drivers to outsource R&D and how this aligned with their overall R&D strategy.

The study revealed that the greater value that companies see in R&D outsourcing is the opportunity it provides to tap into worldwide skills and capabilities to improve existing products and services and accelerate new R&D. The study also revealed that selecting an R&D partner with a deep knowledge of emerging markets and new geographies will enhance the value that companies can achieve through their outsourcing strategy.

Commenting on the report, Debra Floyd, COO, Outsourcing Center said, “This study indicates a strategic change that is taking place in the way companies are looking at their R&D and new product development strategies. There is an increased trend of companies partnering with various outsourcing providers to achieve faster time to market and more cost-effective innovation. There is clearly an increase in companies adopting a collaborative model of product development to be able to stay competitive in a global marketplace.”

“As the world’s largest independent R&D Services provider, we have been spearheading the emergence of a ‘global innovation network’ where we work with the principal as well as several partners across the complete product development lifecycle starting from product strategy to IP development, embedded engineering and chip design right up to building a prototype of the finished product”, said Ramesh Emani, President, Product Engineering Solutions, Wipro Technologies. “Increasingly, we are playing the role of an aggregator and not just a vendor, in some cases even partnering on a ‘risk-sharing’ compensation model”, he added.

The research polled close to 100 subscribers at the Outsourcing Center portal during March 2006. The results were based on inputs from Chief Technology Officers, Product Managers and Engineering Managers on the following:

• Access to 24/7 global R&D processes
• Ability to exploit pools of skilled labor
• Reduced R&D costs
• Reduced time to market for innovations
• Ability to tailor goods and services to particular markets