Back in 2005, little was known about the river dolphins of South America. But over the past decade a huge research project has shone much-needed light on the murky world of the continent’s fresh water cetaceans, providing vital information for future conservation work.
While several studies had provided valuable data on habitat and social structure, there was hardly any information on the population of river dolphins at a regional level. Determined to fill this gap, WWF joined the Omacha Foundation in 2005 to conduct in-depth research on, and develop a conservation programme for, river dolphins in South America.
Since then, teams have conducted more than 15 expeditions to count river dolphins in the main rivers in the Orinoco and Amazon basins. In the process, researchers from WWF, Omacha Foundation and other partners have travelled more than 17,000 km, navigating through Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.
And for the first time, it is now possible to reliably estimate the population of Inia (pink dolphin) and Sotalia (grey dolphin), as well as Inia araguaiaensis, an endemic species that was only discovered in 2014. Overall, it is estimated that there are about 40,000 river dolphins in South America.
This may sound like a substantial number, but the dolphins’ future is far from secure. Gold mining, commercial agriculture, oil production, fisheries and habitat degradation all threaten the survival of the continent’s remarkable cetaceans. They are even used as bait to trap an Amazonian scavenger fish, which is sold commercially in Colombia.
However, with the wealth of information gathered during the past decade’s extraordinary expeditions, conservationists will now be on much firmer ground when they design and implement future projects to protect the region’s river dolphins.
“This initiative allows us to better understand our dolphins and work together to reduce their threats. Some of Asia’s dolphins are on the brink of extinction, we need to avoid reaching the same situation in South America.”
Jose Saulo Usma
Freshwater Specialist, WWF-Colombia.
Learn about efforts to protect river dolphins in Bolivia (Spanish).
