Factsheet_WWF Irrawaddy Dolphin

WORKING TOGETHER WITH LAO COMMUNITIES TO CONSERVE THE IRRAWADDY DOLPHIN

FACT SHEET © Alain Compost / WWF-Canon

Irrawaddy Dolphin

Community and collaboration assist conservation of aquatic species in transboundary context

Map of Lao PDR: Location of Mekong Irrawaddy Dolphin at Si Phan Don, Champasak Province in Southern Laos

The Irrawaddy dolphin is an unusual species of dolphin, with populations known to inhabit freshwater, brackish and coastal marine environments. Patchily distributed in Southeast Asia, the species is found in shallow coastal waters across the Asia-Pacific region from India in the west, to the Phillippines in the east, and Indonesia (Sulawesl) in the south. As well as two freshwater lagoons, Chulika Lake in India and Songkhla Lake in Thailand, Irrawaddy dolphins are found in three inland river systems - the Mahakam River in Indonesia, the Ayeyarwady River in Myanmar, and the Mekong River.

The Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin subpopulation is one of five known freshwater populations of this species. Once found widely distributed in the Mekong River and its major tributaries in Cambodia, southern Laos and Vietnam, populations are now thought to be largely restricted to a 190 km stretch of the Mekong from the Laos - Cambodia border south to the small Cambodian town of Kratie.

The dolphin is regarded to be a sacred animal in Buddhist culture and is rarely hunted and consumed as food by local people. However, quite often it becomes accidentally entangled in fishing nets. Although almost all the fishermen do not intend to, or want to, catch the dolphins, setting these nets in areas where fish are most abundant inevitable lead to dolphins also being accidentally caught.

Also, as these nets are often left overnight, or for many hours before they are checked, the dolphins have usually drowned before they are found. As a result of such human-caused mortalities, the total population of the Mekong River Irrawaddy dolphin is estimated to be as low as 80 - 91 individuals, and decreasing at an alarming rate with recent studies providing information that resulted in a reclassification of the subspecies to ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List.

Legend 13

LAOS

Route 13 Country border Dolphin habitat

13

Waterfall

Na Kasang

Don Det 13 Don Sadam Don Khon

Veun Kham

Rapid and poorly planned dolphin-watching tourism development is also increasingly threatening the survival of the species. The future potential for conservation of the Irrawaddy dolphin may lie in the development of well

CAMBODIA

CONSERVATION OF THE IRRAWADDY DOLPHIN IS FUNDED BY DONORS MRC

A high proportion of young or newborn dolphin calves also die in the Mekong population, which suggests that another form of environmental disturbance, such as toxic pollutants, may be severely impacting the population.

Kingdom: Animalia Class: Mammalia Order: Cetacea Family: Delphinidae Species: Orcaella brevirostris The Irrawaddy dolphin is identified by a bulging forehead, a short beak, and 12-19 teeth on each side of each jaw. The pectoral fin is broadly triangular. There has a small dorsal fin, on the posterior end of the back. When diving, this dolphin breathes at intervals of 70-150 seconds; the head appears first and then disappears, and then the back emerges, but the tail is rarely seen.

Length: 180 to 275cm Weight: 115 to 130kg

ComFish will continue to expand by developing community river management plans across Lao PDR. It will help communities increase their long term economic returns from capture fisheries by strengthening management practices through the establishment of community fishing networks. The project will also encourage communities to actively participate in the conservation and recovery of the group of dolphins, to raise awareness about the Mekong dolphins and establish equitable sharing of the tourism revenue generated by the dolphins. The objective is to establish new ecotourism options and environmental education materials for Laotian villages closest to the dolphin pool Ban Hang Sadam and Ban Hang Khone to encourage greater participation and responsibility for the conservation of the Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin at the transboundary pool.

In addition, ComFish are working towards initiating survey to study dolphins prey species, with a view to producing preferred fish varieties to promote good health within individuals and thus increase chances of breeding within existing dolphin populations, as well as reviewing current procedure adopted by locals when mooring their boats in dolphin habitat that can cause disturbance of the species.

DID YOU KNOW? Reports show that the fishermen of Burma attract the Irrawaddy dolphin by tapping the sides of their boats with oars. By swimming around the boat, the dolphin brings the fish into nets, and the fishermen share their catch with the mammal.

LAOS

Traditional culture has led the people of Si Phan Don to believe that the Irrawaddy dolphin found in Mekong is the Queen of aquatic species. Even today, there is a strong belief that the dolphin will safeguard those that travel by boat along the Mekong, with a dolphin sighting being perceived to bring ‘Sok Dee’ meaning good luck.

By way of a solution WWF Laos has initiated the community fisheries project (ComFish) to support food security and aquatic biodiversity along the Mekong and various major tributaries in seven provinces of Lao PDR. In collaboration with the Lao Department of Livestock and Fisheries (DLF), local communities and government agencies has, since 2005, established more than 130 new fisheries co-management arrangements that conserve aquatic health and biodiversity while meeting market demand. These sustainable managed fisheries generate greater income for fishermen and provide long term food security for communities basin-wide. At a national level, ComFish made significant contribution to the formulation and passing of the Lao Government’s first ever Fishery Law in 2010, whilst also assisting to integrate the knowledge and experience of rural communities into fisheries policy and management strategies.

• FACT SHEET

ECOTOURISM POTENTIAL

managed ecotourism. If the tourism is planned and managed correctly, the economic incomes from tourists could provide an important source of livelihoods for local communities while also protecting the remaining population of this species, before it is simply too late.

© Richard Vincent / WWF Greater Mekong

For more information: WWF Greater Mekong - Laos Office House 39, Unit 5, Ban Saylom, Vientiane, Lao PDR Tel: +856 21 216080 Fax: +856 21 251883 khamsai.inthavong@wwfgreatermekong.org

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