ProjectsThe Mekong Dolphin Conservation Project conducts a number of projects to raise awareness about Irrawaddy dolphins and develop local level conservation and management initiatives:
Public Awareness Raising
MDCP began a public education and awareness program in 2003 to emphasis the importance of the dolphins and the riverine habitat. PostersIn early MDCP produced a poster in Khmer and English outlining the folklore of the Mekong River Dolphin. The poster aimed to re-iterate local values of the dolphins as a human re-incarnation. San San the Mekong Dolphin Colouring BookIn mid 2003 MDCP published and distributed 6000 copies of “San San the Mekong River Dolphin – A Colouring story book for children”.
CalendarsCommunity participation in the process of data collection has been facilitated by the distribution of 17 calendars throughout the Cambodian Mekong River section. The calendars were used by local villagers to document dolphin occurrence in river areas adjacent to where they were lived. This information is then collated by MDCP
Community DevelopmentIn 2004, MDCP began collaborating with the Cambodian Rural Development Team (CRDT), to provide rural development in exchange for the communities co-operation with conservation activities. This project has been conducted in three villages adjacent to dolphin critical areas in the upper cambodian Mekong River. The intial results from these pilot projects have been very encouraging. In addition, a project funded by the British Embassy, Phnom Penh was initiated in January 2003, in an attempt to diversify livelihoods through dolphin-watching eco-tourism. This project has resulted in six village level-workshops and one Kratie line-department workshop to discuss dolphin conservation and potential options for diversification of livelihoods. Irrawaddy dolphins are an integral part of the Mekong River system and many local people (both Khmer and Lao) have strong beliefs and folklore about the dolphins. These beliefs afford some cultural protection to assist conservation efforts, where the majority of local people do not want to harm or catch dolphins. Community fisheries management programs to conserve dolphin habitats would also ultimately benefit the local fishermen and communities. It is hoped that these programs would increase fish stocks and also reduce by-catch of dolphins through sustainable fishing practices. Such programs have already been initiated by a local Cambodian NGO, Community Aid Abroad. A future emphasis should be to conduct socio-economic surveys of villages surrounding critical dolphin habitats. This will provide essential data towards developing potentially effective conservation and management initiatives and providing baseline data regarding various socio-economic aspects of the village. A series of meetings in each of the critical villages were conducted in 2004, to introduce the socio-economic surveys and disseminate results of the MDCP to date. Managing Eco-Tourism
Dolphin-watching tourism is becoming increasingly popular at Kampi Pool, Kratie Province and Chiteal Pool on the Lao/Cambodian border. MDCP has produced information boards for tourists at the Kampi Pool viewing site, in association with Monsoon Tours, Cambodia and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. The content of these information boards can be found at MDCP. Brochures were developed in 2004 (English and khmer), describing biological facts about the mekong dolphins, threats and the importance of not disturbing their natural habitst. If conducted in a controlled manner dolphin-watching tourism could provide significant and long-term financial benefit to local communities throughout the upper Cambodian Mekong region, including areas of Stung Treng Province. Capacity Building
The MDCP works collaboratively with the Cambodian Department of Fisheries to conduct training and build the capacity of its local staff. Throughout 2003, one full-time Department of Fisheries counterpart and six part-time Kratie/Stung Treng Department of Fisheries counterparts worked with the MDCP. Project counterparts developed a wide variety of skills including, cetacean research survey protocol, interview techniques, public education and awareness, data entry and initial analyses, stranding recovery and necropsy and conservation initiatives and activities. The local survey team has also begun to conduct rigorous and comprehensive surveys independently, which will significantly aid future conservation activities and monitoring of the remaining Irrawaddy dolphin population that inhabits the Mekong River. The MDCP has also supervised two local university students from Pre Liep University to conduct their graduate thesis on dolphins, the riverine habitat and conservation. Both graduated successfully and one now works full-time with the MDCP. Government Partnerships and Conservation StrategiesIn late 2003, the MDCP established an office within the Kratie Fisheries Office. The office allows the centralization of all data collection and analysis relating to the Mekong dolphin population. In addition, as part of Ms. Beasley's PhD with James Cook University, MDCP developed the "Mekong Dolphin Conservation and Management Plan", that has subsequently been adopted as national policy in Cambodia. MDCP is currently working to encourage regional co-operation with Lao and Vietnamese authorities in Mekong dolphin conservation and protection. |
