by Lia Sciortino
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Tourism Offers Irawaddy Dolphins Protection, and Farmers, Income
Top Stories | Tourism | CambodiaIf anyone in the bustling capital of Phnom Penh wants to see the rare and endangered Irrawaddy dolphins, the closest place is Kratie province, eight hours by car on a dusty potholed road.
Although wary, tourists do make it to the quiet spot on the Mekong River and are soothed by the sight of some of the world's only truly freshwater dolphins rhythmically cresting the water's surface.
There are at least nine major pools inhabited by dolphins in Cambodia, starting from Kratie up the river to Stung Treng province at the border with Lao PDR. These places, with few local restaurants and low standard accommodation, provide little incentive for visitors to linger.
However, Cambodian tourism officials say the number of foreigners who visit the species, also found in Laos, Burma and Indonesia, has doubled annually in recent years - a trend expected to continue. While around 800 foreigners came in 2000, over 3,000 saw the dolphins in 2002.
"Since Kampi became a tourism place, I changed my job from fisherman to tourist guide," says Seang Lorn, 45, a boat owner. "My life is getting better now because I get more money from tourism than fishing and farming combined."
The Kampi dolphin pool in Kratie is the most popular viewing spot. Although it became a tourism zone in 1999, there is still little infrastructure.
A wooden structure provides some shade at the Kampi pool, while steps down to the riverbank allow visitors to board boats to get a closer look at the dolphins. Information boards provide some details on the dolphins. No drinking water, food or washrooms are available.
This lack of development has drawn mostly tight-fisted backpackers. Concerned tourism officials say the government is not doing enough to promote the dolphins and develop services that attract tourist dollars. "I'm very concerned if we don't have good service for tourists now they will not come in the future," says Dr Touch Seang Tana, a member of the government's Economic, Social, Culture Observation Unit.
The tourist zone around the dolphins is a far cry from the country's major attraction, Angkor Wat, where developers are considering escalators along the temples and light shows.
However, it's places like dolphin pools that some observers say can expand the reach of Cambodia's tourism industry, keeping foreigners in the country for longer than a couple of days and spreading some wealth to the country's rural poor.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has said that the most tourism potential for Cambodia lies in marketing Angkor Wat, but asserted the country has many other attractions for foreign visitors.
Experts say increased visits to Kratie have not only helped some villagers in the area, it could offer the dolphins their best chance for survival.
Principal investigator of the Mekong River Dolphin Conservation Project, Isabel Beasley, says studies have shown an alarming decline in the population of the dolphins in the only three areas where they are found. The unique freshwater mammal could possibly be extinct in a decade, says Beasley.
The Conservation Project, in a Wildlife Conservation Society report, found that the number of dolphins in the Mekong River is fewer than 100 and possibly as low as 60.
Thirteen dolphins died between January to August in 2003. The majority of deaths occurred when dolphins became entangled in fishermen's nets, which span up to one kilometre in width, says Beasley.
Investigators say other harmful fishing practices, such as the use of explosives and gill nets, as well as run-ins with sharp boat propellers, have contributed to the depletion of these natural wonders.
And then there are the lasting effects of the Khmer Rouge. Before 1975, there were more than 1,000 dolphins in Cambodia, mainly in the Tonle Sap Lake and in Stung Treng and Kratie provinces. Dolphins usually swam back and forth between the two areas, but now none remain in the Tonle Sap.
The brutal regime killed dolphins to extract oil for machinery, boats and lanterns. Cambodian officials estimate at least five dolphins per day were killed in the Tonle Sap Lake during the time of the Khmer Rouge. One dolphin could provide up to 25 kilogrammes of oil.
Beasley's report adds that an essential step to conserve the remaining Irrawaddy dolphin population will be to develop "dolphin or fisheries protected areas."
To implement those properly, they must be done in cooperation with local communities and NGOs, along with support from the Cambodian government and donor funding.
"Effective conservation and management initiatives need to be initiated immediately," she says.
Beasley does add, however, that she is encouraged by the considerable local public and political will to conserve Mekong River population, which significantly helps conservation efforts.
A public education and awareness campaign on the issue, begun in January 2003, has distributed calendars and posters to communities near dolphin habitats.
Mao Chan Saman, deputy chief of Stung Treng province's fisheries office, says 51 communities who mainly rely on fishing have been educated about the dolphin's importance by his office and NGOs.
"Now up to 90 percent of Stung Treng fishery communities understand the issue and join with provincial authorities and NGOs to protect dolphins," says Chan Saman.
On the Lao side of the Mekong, Director of the Global Association for People and Environment (GAPE) Ian Baird says Mekong dolphins are fully protected by law. Violators can be fined up to 500,000 kip (650 U.S. dollars) and imprisoned for up to one year.
"It is illegal to kill or sell dolphins or dolphin meat in Laos," says Baird.
He adds that people have such strong reverence for the Mekong dolphins that they try to release any accidentally caught in fishing gear. It is taboo to bring dolphin bones into Laotian villages near Veun Nyang, where Lao dolphins live.
The Laos government is already promoting the dolphins for tourism, says Baird, but adds that boats taking visitors to see the mammals should be required to stay at a safe distance.
There is also some worry the attraction will get out of hand. "It is important to make sure that … large companies don't take over the tourist business, since it is a source of income for local people," he says.
Thao Thavon, 33, relies mainly on transporting tourists in his boat to support his wife and two children. He says seven to 15 dolphins inhabit the area, although they sometimes travel back in forth between the Lao-Cambodian border.
"People in Laos like and respect dolphins so much because the government has put them under protection," says Thavon.
While the Lao dolphin tourism business is making progress and there is a law to protect the animals, GAPE's Baird cautions that the real protection needs to take place in Cambodia. "Most of (the dolphins) are in Cambodia, so there is not much that the Lao government can do, " Baird says.
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