Posted on diciembre, 22 2020

Thanks to the work of the South American River Dolphin Initiative (SARDI)—made up by Faunagua, Omacha Foundation, Mamirauá, Solinia, and WWF—we achieved two important milestones: an open database for decision-making in the management of these freshwater kings and political backing for these decisions.

This year, we presented a proposal for the Regional Conservation and Management Plan for River Dolphins in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, which received support and recognition from the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the world's leading scientific body in the creation of cetacean-related regulations. The plan’s implementation could begin in 2021.

The Conservation and Management Plan (CMP) proposal is one of the most important milestones in our work for river dolphins and their habitats, and it was realized through close collaboration among the four countries and the participation of government commissioners, scientists, and technicians with extensive experience in the conservation of these cetaceans. Its implementation would take place in the Amazon, Orinoco, and Tocantins-Araguaia river basins, an area covering approximately nine million square kilometers.

As part of the work with SARDI, we also had the opportunity to launch a South American river dolphin data visualization platform. The portal consolidates the results of 20 years of scientific work in six countries and includes key information, as well as a storymap in Spanish and Portuguese, to understand the size and dynamics of the current populations (whether they increase or decrease), the genetics of each species, and the threats they face in the different regions where they live. It is a useful tool for governments, companies, and researchers to make better decisions for the conservation of these species and their habitats. http://river-dolphins.com

Without doubt, together it is possible to work for species and our planet!