Asian experts meet in China to protect endangered freshwater dolphins

Over 50 experts from China and Southeast Asian countries discussed strategies for protecting endangered freshwater dolphins. This is reported by Xinhua News Agency, a partner of TV BRICS.

The activity brought together specialists from Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and China to share knowledge on habitat protection, ex-situ conservation, and artificial breeding, with a focus on adapting China’s successful model for the Yangtze finless porpoise.

The Yangtze finless porpoise, a freshwater cetacean endemic to the Yangtze River, once faced a severe population decline. However, conservation efforts in China have reversed this trend. According to a 2022 survey, the population reached 1,249 individuals –marking the first population increase in decades.

During the meeting, participants examined how China's conservation model, particularly techniques involving relocated populations and rewilding training for low-reproductive species, might be applied to save Irrawaddy dolphins. Discussions also covered passive acoustic monitoring, habitat restoration, and other key tools for protecting small cetaceans.

The meeting was co-organised by the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Cambodia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.

According to experts, this regional exchange signals growing cooperation across Asia in safeguarding freshwater cetaceans.

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