The endangered Irrawaddy dolphin, native to Southeast Asia's Mekong River, is making a comeback in Cambodia thanks to conservation efforts.
Nature World News reported that there are around 105 of these marine mammals — also known as Mekong dolphins — in Cambodia, according to the country's agriculture minister. This is up from 89 in 2020. The population boost follows eight births in the first half of 2024.
According to the publication, the rebound was made possible by conservation measures, including stringent efforts against destructive fishing and increased community awareness of the plight of these freshwater dolphins. Still, challenges remain, including a warming world and habitat destruction due to upstream dams. Plus, about 70% of the dolphins are too old to reproduce.
Dolphins are important indicators of the health of the rivers they live in, according to the World Wildlife Fund. About 60 million people depend on the Mekong River, according to the organization, utilizing its natural resources from freshwater to fish. In fact, fish, mollusks, and other resources from the river account for 80% of the protein in household diets in the lower Mekong basin, WWF says, adding that fisheries of the Mekong pump more than $2 billion a year into local economies.
Meanwhile, only six species of river dolphins are left in the world today, all of which are endangered or critically endangered. Threats to river dolphins include pollution, dams, shipping, and bycatch.
Plus, warming global temperatures are taking their toll on river dolphins. For instance, scientists found the carcasses of at least 120 Amazon river dolphins washed ashore at a lake in late 2023 and believe the event was tied to an ongoing drought paired with abnormally high water temperatures.
Declines in river dolphin populations are in line with a rapid loss of species worldwide. Luckily, wildlife conservationists have also celebrated a number of successes in the race to save global biodiversity.
For instance, researchers in Kenya discovered a baby black rhino in the wild following conservation efforts for the critically endangered species. Plus, a $500 billion rewilding effort in Saudi Arabia is yielding results, as 60 babies of various species were born in the first breeding season after their reintroduction to the land.
Join our free newsletter for cool news and cool tips that make it easy to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
