The Irrawaddy Dolphin and Mekong River Conservation
The Irrawaddy dolphin in the Mekong River.
The Irrawaddy dolphin symbolizes the magnificence of the Mekong River and its continued high biodiversity. The number of dolphin remaining in the Mekong River is estimated between 78 and 91 individuals. Even this low number would make the Mekong subpopulation the largest of only five remaining critically endangered freshwater populations of this species in the world.
The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) inhabits a 190km stretch of the mainstream Mekong River between Kratie, Cambodia and Khone Falls on the border with Lao PDR.
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Visit the Mekong Irrawaddy Dolphin's species profile.
Read updates about the Mekong Dolphin and results from the latest population survey.
Read updates about the Mekong Dolphin and results from the latest population survey.
The Irrawaddy Dolphin as a Flagship Species
WWF has identified the Irrawaddy dolphin as a flagship species for the conservation of the Mekong River because these dolphins have certain minimum habitat requirements that reflect the health of the river ecosystem for other species, including humans: They require sufficient, undisrupted water, abundant prey, waters unobstructed by human activity and construction, and a clean river system. [Read more...]
Learn more about dolphins as a flagship species for conservation.
Dolphin Ecology in the Mekong River
The Irrawaddy is a shy, small dolphin that is dark grey in colour with a paler underside, a small rounded dorsal fin and a bluntly rounded head. It can reach lengths of 2.75m, weighs up to 150kg, and normally lives in groups of up to 6. The Irrawaddy dolphin is one of only 3 whale and dolphin species that occupy both fresh and marine waters. [Read more...]
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Threats to the Mekong population
The Irrawaddy Dolphin’s habitat preferences for freshwater and near shore marine environments make the species especially vulnerable to intensive human use and abuse. Living in very confined areas, freshwater populations are in particularly serious decline in terms of range and size. [Read more...]
Learn more about threats to the Mekong's Irrawaddy dolphins
Conserving the Cambodian Mekong Dolphin
The Cambodian Mekong Dolphin Conservation Project (CMDCP) is a collaborative effort between WWF, the Cambodian Rural Development Team (CRDT) and the Fisheries Administration that addresses the urgent need to conserve the Mekong dolphin by implementing the government’s Cambodian Mekong Dolphin Conservation Strategy. [Read more...]
Learn more about dolphin conservation