The last surviving Mekong River dolphins could be wiped out by the building of a controversial dam by the Laos government, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has warned
The fate of the last surviving Irrawaddy river dolphins
on the Laos-Cambodian border hangs in the balance after a Laos
government official was reported as saying this week that construction
of the dam would begin by the end of the year.
The 256-MW Don Sahong hydropower project, given the go-ahead in July
by the Laos government, could alter the course of the lower Mekong
River. Just five river dolphins live in deep-water pools on the
Laos-Cambodian border, south of the serene 4,000 Islands, an area in
southern Laos popular with travellers who take dolphin-spotting tours. A
further 80 of the grey mammals live in the Cambodian section of the
river.
Sam Ath Chhith, country director, WWF-Cambodia, told Telegraph
Travel: “The Don Sahong Dam is an ecological time bomb that will signal
the end for the five dolphins closest to the dam site. It also increases
the risk to the rest of the Mekong’s dolphin population further
downstream.”
Dolphin-spotting tours are a huge attraction on the southern Laos
islands of Don Deth and Don Khone, with regular sightings between
December and May. At the tip of Don Khone locals take tourists out on
small wooden boats. With 20,000 dolphin visits a year, the loss of such a
tourist attraction would hit the local economy, according to a WWF
report.
James Mundy of tour operator Inside Asia Tours said: “Dolphin spotting in the region is a true wildlife experience and a highlight for many of our travellers and so we are very disappointed with this news.
“The dam potentially affects the existence of the delightful but very rare Irrawaddy dolphin, the local economy and the small communities that coexist and survive on the relationship with it.”
The Laos government and the Malaysian developers, MegaFirst, disagree with WWF. They say that the project will improve fishing sustainability in the area by actually improving fish migration. They also assert that increased tourism activity is a threat to the remaining dolphins.
James Mundy of tour operator Inside Asia Tours said: “Dolphin spotting in the region is a true wildlife experience and a highlight for many of our travellers and so we are very disappointed with this news.
“The dam potentially affects the existence of the delightful but very rare Irrawaddy dolphin, the local economy and the small communities that coexist and survive on the relationship with it.”
The Laos government and the Malaysian developers, MegaFirst, disagree with WWF. They say that the project will improve fishing sustainability in the area by actually improving fish migration. They also assert that increased tourism activity is a threat to the remaining dolphins.
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