In-stream habitat availability for river dolphins in response to flow: Use of ecological integrity to manage river flows.

Population decline and extinction risk of river dolphins are primarily associated with flow alteration. Previous studies predominantly highlighted maintenance of adequate flow for low water seasons when habitats contract and the risk of local extinction escalates. Although river dolphins are sensitive to reduction in river flow, no studies quantify the relationships between flow and ecology of river dolphins to mitigate the potential adverse impacts of flow alteration.

Ecological responses to flow variation inform river dolphin conservation.

Many environmental flow (e-flow) studies and applications have predominantly used state-(i.e., at a single time point) and rate-(i.