Chapter 15 - Conserving Dolphins in the Mekong River: The Complex Challenge of Competing Interests

Abstract

Several attempts have been made to conserve the critically endangered population of Irrawaddy dolphins inhabiting the lower Mekong River. In January 2001, the Mekong Dolphin Conservation Project (MDCP) was initiated as part of the first author's PhD research at James Cook University, Australia. All activities were conducted in cooperation with the Cambodian Department of Fisheries, which was extremely supportive of all aspects of the project. Beasley was the full-time project manager for 4.5 years. All project activities were designed to contribute toward a comprehensive understanding of the dolphin population on which to base initiatives to ensure the population's long-term survival. The research results from the MDCP till April 2005, confirmed that the Irrawaddy dolphin population inhabiting the Mekong River is very small, declining, and facing continuing threats. In 2001, MDCP initiated a carcass recovery program throughout the lower Mekong River to collect and conduct necropsy on all dead dolphins and attempt to determine the cause of mortalities. At the end of 2002, MDCP conducted a large-scale awareness campaign about the importance of reporting dolphin carcasses. As a result of these efforts, dolphin carcasses were often reported within days of death from 2003 onwards.