@book{,

title = {Action Plan for the Conservation of Freshwater Populations of Irrawaddy Dolphins},

author = {Smith, B. D., ,Shore, R.G., ,Lopez, A., ,Beasley, I. ,Gilbert, M., ,Sokha, K., ,Kittawattanawong, K., ,Kreb, D., ,Moelyono, H., ,Tun, M. T., ,Channy, O., ,Pattnaik, A., ,Somany, P., ,Phothitay, C., ,Sutaria, D. ,Tun, T.},

issn = {WCSWP31},

year  = {2007},

date = {2007-01-01},

journal = {Status and conservation of freshwater populations of Irrawaddy dolphins: WCS Working Paper 31},

number = {477},

pages = {1-119},

publisher = {Wildlife Conservation Society},

abstract = {Freshwater populations of Irrawaddy dolphins are threatened with extinction

in the near future, and urgent conservation measures are required for their

long-term survival. In contrast to the environmental preferences of other members

of their species, which inhabit nearshore marine waters, these animals

live far upstream in three large rivers (the Mekong in Cambodia, Lao PDR

and Vietnam, the Mahakam in Kalimantan, Indonesia, and the Ayeyarwady in

Myanmar) and in two brackish lagoons or marine appended lakes (Songkhla

in Thailand and Chilika in India, Figure 1). Balancing the resource needs of

local human communities with the survival requirements of these large, mobile,

aquatic predators is a challenging task due to their restricted distribution in

freshwater bodies which are already subjected to high levels of human use. The

irony of their endangerment is that Irrawaddy dolphins are generally regarded

positively by local people, probably due to their engaging social displays, role

in cultural folklore, and in the Ayeyarwady River participation in a cooperative

fishery with cast-net fishermen. This positive attitude enhances the potential for

working with governments and local communities to find conservation solutions

and generate local revenue through sustainable tourism.

The primary threat to most populations is incidental killing from gillnet

entanglement. In the Mekong River of Cambodia gillnet entanglement accounted

for 87% of the mean yearly, confirmed human-caused mortalities where

the cause could be identified, representing at least 5.4% of the current estimated

minimum population size. In the Mahakam River, gillnet entanglement

accounted for 66% of the mean yearly recorded mortalities and 4.0% of the

estimated population size. A particular fisheries problem threatening dolphins

in the Ayeyarwady and Mahakam rivers is electrocution from illegal electric

fishing. This non-selective fishing technique may also be causing declines in

dolphin prey.

Habitat loss and degradation are caused by water developments, gold and

coal mining operations, increasing sedimentation from dredging and shoreline

development, and large numbers of fixed fishing gears that block access to large

sections of the rivers and lagoons. The effects of these factors are difficult to

quantify but may be substantial, especially when combined with mortality from

fisheries bycatch. Chemical pollution from biocides used in shoreline aquaculture

and agriculture, mercury and cyanide used in gold mining operations,

and coal spillage from transport barges may be directly affecting the health of

status and conservation of freshwater populations of irrawaddy dolphins

certain populations and indirectly affecting them due to impacts on their prey.

Vessel harassment and collisions may also be affecting some populations, particularly

boat traffic associated with dolphin watching operations in the mouth

of Chilika Lake and possibly in the Mekong River at the Lao PDR-Cambodia

transborder and Kampi pools, while large coal transport barges in narrow

tributary habitat interfere with dolphin movements in the Mahakam River.

Strategies for mitigating bycatch include: (1) establishing core conservation

areas where gillnetting would be banned or severely restricted; (2) promoting

net attendance rules and providing training on the safe release of entangled

dolphins; (3) initiating a program to compensate fishermen for damage caused

to their nets by entangled dolphins that are safely released; (4) providing alternative

or diversified employment options for gillnet fishermen; (5) encouraging

the use of fishing gears that do not harm dolphins by altering or establishing fee

structures for fishing permits to make gillnetting more expensive while decreasing

the fees for non-destructive gears; and (6) experimenting with acoustical

deterrents and reflective nets.

Multiple-use protected areas will play a key role for conserving dolphins:

(1) in the Mekong River, at nine deep pool areas between Kratie and the Lao

PDR-Cambodia border; (2) in the Mahakam River, in 10-20 km segments in

the Kedang Pahu tributary mouth at Muara Pahu Town, the mouths of the

Kedang Kepala and Kedang Rantau tributaries, and the Pela tributary including

the southern portion of Semayang Lake; (3) in the Ayeyarwady River, river

segments between the Taping river confluence at Bhamo to the upstream end of

the second river defile at Sinkan, the downstream end of the second river defile

to Tagaung, and the downstream end of the third river defile at Kyaukmyaung

to Mingun; (4) in Songkhla Lake, in the middle portion of upper Thale Luang;

and (5) in Chilika Lake, in the area between Magamukh and the outer lake

mouth.

Research and monitoring will be needed to guide and assess the efficacy

of conservation interventions. Recommended methods for abundance estimation

include mark-recapture analysis of photo-identified individuals and direct

counts that incorporate measures to reduce sighting biases in the field and

evaluate and correct them analytically. Recommended methods for evaluating

dolphin mortality include interview surveys, carcass recovery programs, and

direct counts of fishing operations known or believed to be responsible for

dolphin deaths.

Freshwater populations of Irrawaddy dolphins can still be saved if appropriate

conservation measures are urgently implemented. To conserve these populations

it will be essential to closely involve local people in the development and

implementation of conservation plans. This will require sufficient funds and

a strong commitment from national governments and local and international

NGOs.

status and conservation of freshwater populations of irrawaddy dolphins

The idea for this volume emerged from the Workshop to Develop a Conservation

Action Plan for Freshwater Populations of Irrawaddy Dolphins held 21-26

March 2005 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The volume aims to publicize the

Action Plan and provide science-based justifications for urgent implementation

of recommended priority actions. The volume contains the Action Plan for the

Conservation of Freshwater Populations of Irrawaddy Dolphins, Report on the

Workshop to Develop a Conservation Action Plan for Freshwater Populations

of Irrawaddy Dolphins, and reviews of the conservation status of each of the

five freshwater populations.

The Action Plan highlights common actions needed for all five populations

and more specific actions needed for individual populations. The complexity

of devising effective solutions to address the full range of threats to freshwater

populations of Irrawaddy dolphins was beyond the scope of this workshop and

also arguably beyond the capacity to finance with available funds. Substantial

progress was made, however, on formulating some practical actions that must

be taken to prevent extinction of these populations.

A recent positive development has been the substantial research progress on

assessing the conservation status of all five freshwater populations of Irrawaddy

dolphins. This has been made possible by the dedicated work of a relatively

small group of local and international scientists and conservationists who were

mostly present at the workshop. We are proud to present in this volume reports

on the conservation status of all five freshwater populations. These reports gave

us a strong foundation for productive discussions at the workshop and development

of the Action Plan. All five reports underwent peer-review and were

edited for consistency and style, but the content remained the responsibility of

individual authors.

Between the time of the workshop and publication of this volume significant

steps have been taken to implement recommended conservation actions for

some populations. To preserve the accuracy of discussions conducted at the

workshop we decided not to revise the workshop report post-hoc but to encourage

authors of the conservation status reports on each population to include

new developments in these documents, which they have done in this volume.},

keywords = {Ayeyarwady River, Chilika Lake, conservation, Freshwater ecosystem management, Irrawaddy dolphin, Mahakam River, Mekong River, population estimates, Songkhla Lake},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {book}

}