Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River of Cambodia

H. E Nao Thuok
Director General of Fisheries Administration
#186, Preah Norodom Blvd
Sangkat Tonle Bassac
Khan Chamcar Morn
P.O. Box 582 Phnom Penh
Cambodia

H. E Touch Seang Tana
Chairman of Commission for Conservation and Development of Mekong River
Dolphin Eco-tourism Zone
Office at the Council of Ministers
41 Russian Federation Boulevard, Sangkat Monorom, Khan 7 Makara,
Phnom Penh 12252
Cambodia

Dear Excellencies:

On behalf of the 1,963 scientist and student members of the Society for Marine Mammalogy, I would like to congratulate you on your approval of the “Kratie Declaration on the Conservation of the Mekong River Irrawaddy Dolphins,” signed on 12 January 2012, and your commitment to work together with the World Wide Fund for Nature to conserve Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River of Cambodia. As was clearly evident during my participation in the Mekong Irrawaddy Dolphin Conservation Workshop held in Kratie on 10-12 January 2012, this small, Critically Endangered (IUCN Red-List) subpopulation is an important part of Cambodia’s natural heritage, and it faces serious challenges to its continued survival.

In recognition of the urgent need for coordinated and sustained efforts to prevent the extinction of this subpopulation, the members of the Society for Marine Mammalogy, the largest association of marine/aquatic mammal scientists in the world, support you in recognizing and endorsing the findings and recommendations of the Workshop.

Randall Wells

Randall Wells, PhD
President