KKP Strengthens Cooperation in Conservation of Mahakam Dolphin Habitat in Kalimantan Waters

KABAR ALAM - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) is strengthening cooperation to strengthen efforts to conserve Mahakam dolphin habitat in Kalimantan waters.

This effort was carried out by KKP in collaboration with the Rare Aquatic Species of Indonesia (RASI) Conservation Foundation.

The signing of the collaboration between KKP and RASI was carried out on Thursday 8 December 2022 in Samarinda.

Indonesian Version: KKP Perkuat Kerja Sama Konservasi Habitat Pesut Mahakam di Perairan Kalimantan

Borneo waters are known as the habitat of Mahakam dolphins which are listed as Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List).

Quoted from the kkp.go.id page, on Thursday 21 December 2022, Secretary of the Directorate General of Marine Spatial Management of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Hendra Yusran Siry said the Mahakam dolphin population is currently only around 60-70 individuals.

Threats and challenges to dolphin conservation in the Mahakam area include the distribution of their population which is increasingly pressing.

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Every year on average 4 dolphins die of which 70 percent of their deaths are due to being trapped in gillnets.

All of the factors above indicate that the condition of the dolphin population and the Mahakam River is already in a state of emergency.

He emphasized that maintaining a sustainable marine ecology is very influential for the welfare of society and the environment.

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One of them is by maintaining what has been formed by increasing the effectiveness, ecology, and economy in conservation areas.

"There is an endemic fish species in this area, namely the Mahakam dolphin. The dolphin habitat is reserved as a Marine Protected Area, namely an aquatic tourism park with an area of ​​42,667.99 hectares including swamp areas for the protection of fishery resources which are a source of food for the dolphins and a source of income for fishermen from 27 villages within the reserved area," explained Hendra.