Photo courtesy of WWF Cambodia

7 December 2017
Cambodia’s beloved Irrawaddy dolphins are facing troubled waters, with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) yesterday flagging the riverine mammal as ‘critically endangered’ in an update to its ‘Red List’.

The dolphins are often caught in gillnets, which cast broad tangles of net that create the greatest threat to the freshwater mammals, according to the IUCN release. Overfishing of the dolphins’ food sources and habitat destruction have also led to a 50 percent drop in population in the past 60 years, the release said. Randall Reeves, chair of the IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group, said in an IUCN release that the dolphin is a major tourism draw along the Mekong River, especially in Cambodia.

“While the protected status of the species means that deliberate hunting or capture is rare or non-existent, protection from entanglement and other threats is either lacking entirely or largely ineffective,” Reeves said. Youk Senglong, deputy executive director for the Fisheries Action Coalition Team (FACT), yesterday acknowledged illegal fishing as a contributing factor to the dolphins’ decline, but he pointed to hydropower dams upstream on the Mekong as the most serious source of trauma.

“Now the Irrawaddy is really in danger, and there should be prompt and effective intervention from the government and other relevant stakeholders, such as development partners, to conserve it,” he said in an email.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/i ... red-listed

It's one thing after another for the Kratie dolphins (and the local inhabitants.) Mining for gold, copper and oil is particularly harmful to the environment, especially when it is part of a river eco-system. Go the Australians.

Mining exploration set for region home to endangered river dolphins
17 January 2018 | 07:16 ICT
Australian mining firm Medusa Mining has announced plans to begin exploration for gold, copper and oil in Kratie province’s Prek Kampi commune, about 35 kilometres west of a stretch of the Mekong River that is home to endangered river dolphins.

Medusa Mining signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sea Resources, which was granted exclusive exploration rights in Prek Kampi by the Ministry of Mines and Energy in June last year. The Prek Kampi region is home to the endangered Irrawaddy River Dolphin, of which about 80 remain in the Mekong River.

Boyd Timler, CEO of Medusa Mining, said yesterday that the exploration itself would be relatively harmless, and the project would be unlikely to affect the dolphins.
“We are aware that the dolphins are in that area of the river,” he said. “Any water [near the mine] is small little streams . . . it’s nowhere near the river.”

Negative environmental impacts of mining can include erosion, contamination of soil and groundwater, loss of biodiversity and far-reaching impacts on river networks.

Spokesmen for the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Mines and Energy declined requests for interviews yesterday.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/m ... r-dolphins

Good news for the local dolphins and people. Australian mining company Medusa has decided not to explore the Kampi region.

Unless they don't want to mine there because it will be on the dam site.

Medusa Mining : Window closes for deal on mine project in Kratie
03/05/2018
A deadline for an earn-in agreement involving Australian-listed Medusa Mining and Sea Resources to explore the Prek Kampi region of Kratie province passed on Thursday with no deal being reached, according to a UK-based news website.

The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding in January to open up the possibility of Medusa earning a 70 percent stake by investing $3 million over the next four years; however, a March 1 deadline for such a deal was not met, according to the Proactive Investors website.

In its initial announcement, Medusa said it planned to look for copper, gold and oil in the region. Sea Resources was granted exclusive mining rights to the Prek Kampi region in June last year.

The area is home to the endangered Irrawady River Dolphin, although Medusa Mining CEO Boyd Timler previously said a potential mine would be unlikely to affect the dolphins, which reside in a stretch of the Mekong River about 35 kilometres west of the exploration area.

Representatives for Medusa Mining could not be reached yesterday.
http://www.4-traders.com/MEDUSA-MINING- ... -26108908/

Raising awareness for Irrawaddy dolphins
29 October 2018
During a Dolphin Day event on Friday,[26 October], the World Wide Fund for Nature said nine dolphins were born, noting that five others perished so far this year.

Held in Kratie’s provincial city, the Dolphin Day event included exhibitions, photo displays, games, as well as a performances by musical artists.The event was held to garner support for freshwater dolphin habitats in the Mekong river.

In a statement, WWF said up until this month, nine dolphins were born, while five others perished.

“For the first ten months of this year, five dolphins died, an increase of three when compared to last year’s data,” the statement said.
Un Hoy, Sambok commune police chief, said freshwater dolphins in Kratie province are vulnerable due to the use of illegal fishing nets.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50545103/r ... -dolphins/

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