Mekong river dolphins are protected

The Cambodian government yesterday said it would restrict fishing in an area in the Mekong River to protect Irrawaddy freshwater dolphins, which are facing a high risk of extinction.

>>>The Irrawaddy dolphin conservation effort in the Mekong River

The decision to set up the Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin conservation area was approved at the Cambodian government's weekly meeting yesterday. With a length of 180km, it stretches from Kratie province in eastern Cambodia to the border with Laos, AFP reported.

The Irrawaddy dolphin is an animal that is facing a high risk of extinction.

People are still allowed to fish in the reserve, but the government prohibits the use of floating houses, fish cages and sweeping nets because they threaten the life of river dolphins.

According to calculations by the Cambodian government, about 155 to 175 Irrawaddy dolphins are living in the Mekong River section on Cambodian territory. But last year the International Nature Conservation Fund (WWF) identified only 85 dolphins of the Irrawaddy river in Cambodia.

'Sustainable reserves will serve eco-tourism and river dolphin conservation in a sustainable way,' the Cambodian government said.

WWF believes that the use of sweeping nets is the leading cause of a sharp drop in Irrawaddy dolphins. In addition, the number of Mekong dolphins is also reduced due to the high mortality rate of young dolphins, the deterioration of habitat quality.

Irrawaddy dolphins are distributed in coastal areas in South Asia and Southeast Asia, in the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar and Mahakam River in Indonesia. They have been included in the list of highly endangered animals since 2004.