sign in sign up
<<
Home , Finless porpoise, Irrawaddy dolphin, Orcaella, River dolphin

BRIEFING RIVER INT 2019 AT RISK DOLPHINS

Main © WWF / Gerry Ryan / WWF-Greater , inset © Thomas Cristofoletti / WWF-UK SCIENTIFIC NAME: BREVIROSTRIS

HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED? POPULATION Less than 300 freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins still live in the wild, making these riverine subpopulations critically Only by building and growing a strong global endangered. community of partners will we be able to secure the long-term future of river dolphins. The Irrawaddy is found in three rivers in South and MORE WWF is excited to work with local and global Southeast : the Irrawaddy (), the Mahakam ABOUT partners on key projects including: THEM (Kalimatan, ) and the Mekong (Cambodia). Featuring a bulging forehead and short beak, this elegant • Promoting sustainable energy as an will pop its head out of the water to breathe, followed alternate to building more hydropower in by its back; the tail is rarely seen. Its scientific name is the core habitats of the Orcaella brevirostris. • working with local partners and communities to establish sustainable fishing practices; It feeds on bony and fish eggs and squirt streams of water that can reach up to 1.5 meters to herd fish into their • improving protect area management and hunting area. increasing the network of habitats under conservation and protection. WHY IS Large numbers of this species are killed by entanglement in • raising awareness and running educational THE gill nets and illegal fishing activities including . activities; The species is not directly exploited but can accidentally IRRAWADDY • establishing baseline population numbers and end up in fishing gear. Habitat degradation and population range data (where data are not complete); THREATENED? fragmentation due to dam development has severely impacted the species along with pollution of pesticides from palm oil • working with key local (and inter)national plantations and mining (Indonesia), mercury poisoning from industries to transform their business practices gold mining hydraulic blasting and dredging (Myanmar). and adopt water stewardship practices; • creating a global movement to unite and WHAT In addition to conducting research to learn about dolphin inspire governments, businesses and IS WWF mortality, population and ecology, WWF teaches local communities to secure the long-term future DOING? communities about river dolphins and environmental of river dolphins, their rivers and the conservation. We have developed community fishery communities that depend on them. management zones to help sustainably • working towards a signed Inter- manage fish and prevent dolphins from Governmental Declaration by 2021 to accidental capture in nets and other protect river dolphins worldwide. equipment. River guards help track the dolphins and enforce sustainable JOIN US. TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE fishing practices to help the population. THIS HAPPEN. • RIVER DOLPHINS AT RISK PANDA.ORG

MAHAKAM

YANGTZE FINLESS YANGTZE POPULATION 1,000 MEKONG IRRAWADDY MAHAKAM MEKONG YANGTZE SOUTH ASIAN RIVER DOLPHIN Indus Subspecies: POPULATION Approx. 1,800–1,900 INDUS IRRAWADDY GANGES ORINOCO AMAZON POPULATION 3,500–5,000 SOUTH ASIAN RIVER DOLPHIN Ganges Subspecies: INDUS For more information, please contact: Daphne Willems | WWF River Dolphin Initiative Lead | Mobile 6 19302529 +31 | E-mail: [email protected] | to gold mining gold to has been found in dolphins in both Asia and South America. embankments. In Asia, river dolphin habitat has decreased by 50-70% and in South America Asia by 10%. and South America are in the grips an of infrastructure explosion; example, for with hundreds dams of planned in the Amazon, and a potential giant dam in the lower Mekong (Sambor). Mining, agriculture and industrial development that degrade water quality. Deteriorating water quality to due agriculture runoff and industrial effluents is a serious threat dolphins to in Asia, while mercury poisoning due

• Registered Trademark. WWF, Avenue du Mont-Bland, Gland, 1196 Switzerland 22 +41 364 – Tel. 9111 Fax 22 +41 364 0332. For contact details and further information, please visit our international website at www.panda.org © 1986 Panda symbol WWF – World Wide Fund for Nature (Formerly World WildlifeFund) ® “WWF” is a WWF HOW WILL WE DELIVER THIS INITIATIVE? WWF has long-term river dolphin conservation experience, we knowbut that we cannot bend the curve alone. Our solution is mobilize to a powerful global community of partners secure to the future river of dolphins and the communities that depend healthy on and productive freshwater ecosystems.

POPULATION Each sub-population has <100 individuals IRRAWADDY DOLPHIN IRRAWADDY

panda.org TM . POPULATION Unknown le sib s AMAZON r po e h ORINOCO t ge POPULATION Unknown, but likely <5,000 individuals AMAZON RIVER DOLPHIN Bolivian Subspecies: o t Working to sustain the natural Working world for people and wildlife RIVER DOLPHINS DISTRIBUTION DOLPHINS RIVER DOLPHIN POPULATION Unknown, but likely tens of thousands Unsustainable fishing and fishing-related activities. In Asia, (illegal) is the number cause one river of dolphin mortality. In South America, intentional killing riverof dolphins fish for bait meat and affects several thousand dolphins per year. Infrastructure projects that affect habitat connectivity, including hydropower dams, irrigation barrages and including the Yangtze, Mekong, Indus, and Ganges and Indus, Asia in Mekong, Orinoco the and including Yangtze, the Amazon and basins South in America. There are however only five existing species river of River dolphins are found in 15 countries,River dolphins 15 in found are covering most ecologically world’s the some of diverse river basins, RIVER DOLPHINS AT RISK RIVER AT DOLPHINS dolphins left in the today world and they are all endangered or critically endangered WWF’s answer disrupt to and reverse this trend is to build a global movement, the River Dolphin Initiative, to secure the long-term future river of dolphins, their rivers and the communities that depend them. on Our vision is that we by will 2030, have stopped the decline of river dolphin populations in Asia and South America and will have restored and doubled the most threatened populations. There are three major global threats river to dolphins: • •