Kathmandu, December 16 The International Union for Conservation of Nature is all set to prepare dolphin conservation action plan within two years in collaboration with the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation. After successfully completing the first integrated dolphin census in Nepal this monsoon, IUCN is now gearing up to prepare dolphin conservation action plan. Natural Resource Management Specialist at IUCN Deep Narayan Shah said they were preparing to begin consultation workshops soon. “We are all set to begin work on preparing the action plan using the baseline data of dolphins collected during census,” he told The Himalayan Times, adding, “We will prepare the action plan within two years.” As per the integrated census, there are 52 dolphins throughout the country. Although several small and independent studies were conducted by INGOs in the past, this was the first nationwide integrated dolphin census conducted in the country, coordinated by the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation. According to DNPWC, flood, poisoning, habitat loss, and fragmentation due to damming of rivers for hydro-power projects and irrigation pose serious threats to dolphins. Team leader of the census Deep Narayan Shah said the dolphins were pushed towards tributaries from major rivers by the strong water current in the rivers during the monsoon.