Irrawaddy Dolphin: Species of the Week

Polar bears: they get all the climate change attention.  So this week as negotiators meet in Copenhagen, the Wildlife Conservation Society highlighted “unsung species” that are just as vulnerable to climate change.  This isn’t to diminish the grave situation for the world’ biggest bear but to make sure we don’t lose sight of less familiar – and less popular – animals.

Irrawaddy dolphins. Public domain photo

I don’t know much about most of these unsung critters, so I’m resolving to learn and blog more about them in future “Species of the Week.” Picking up on the dolphin theme from last week, I’ll turn first to the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris).

The Irrawaddy dolphin inhabits river deltas in Southeast Asia and the Bay of Bengal. Like its relative, the orca, it’s a voracious predator.  Such a lifestyle would usually bring a species into conflict with human communities and undermine sympathy for conservation.  However, in a stretch of Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady River, local fishing communities have developed a cooperative relationship with Irrawaddy dolphins (named after the river). Dolphin pods herd fish into cast nets and increase the catch for themselves and the fisherfolk. This symbiotic relationship gives local communities a vested interest in conservation and the knowledge to make it work.  But of course, both the dolphin and fishing communities that depend on estuarine habitats will be the first victims of rising sea levels and increased salinity wrought by a warming planet.

The problem for many species in the face of climate change is that their populations are already vulnerable.  The short term news for Irrawaddy dolphins is both good and bad.

Bad news

Irrawaddy dolphin populations are critically low and declining in Southeast Asia.  Recent dies-offs in a section of the Mekong River shared by Cambodia and Laos have been particularly alarming.  Corpses show evidence of DTT and PCBs.  Read more..

Good news

An unknown population of about 6000 Irrawaddy dolphins was recently discovered in the Sunderbans region of Bangladesh.  At least, this provides a more robust population to withstand whatever climate change brings.  Read more…

(Not clear where this footage comes from, but it’s public domain)

Learn More:

To learn more or take action for Irrawaddy dolphins and other vulnerable species, visit the Wildlife Conservation Society or World Wildlife Fund.  Both sites also provide abundant information and links on climate change, how it endangers various species and how people can help.