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编辑者： Svitlana Velhush
Cambodia's Irrawaddy Dolphin population is staging a comeback in the Mekong River, with calf numbers increasing for the first time in years, following strict gill net bans and enforced local protection.
今年在湄公河柬埔寨段確認有六隻伊洛瓦底江豚幼豚誕生。這使當地族群的估計數量增至118隻。此事發生於桔井省與上丁省之間長達120公里的河段。
伊洛瓦底江豚（Orcaella brevirostris）是這片水域中唯一的鯨類。在柬埔寨與寮國，牠們被尊為聖獸，象徵河流之靈。對沿岸社區而言，牠們也帶來生態旅遊收入，尤其是在桔井省甘比深水潭等地。
湄公河柬埔寨段的族群數量明顯低於1990年代末的估計值，當時此地約有200隻。主要威脅包括纏繞於刺網之中（對幼豚尤其危險）、非法電魚以及棲地退化。流域內超過160座水壩正在改變水文與魚類群落組成，而江豚正依賴這些魚類。
自2012年起，長達180公里的河段設有保護區，禁止使用刺網。電魚在全國範圍內正式禁止。聯合巡護、監測以及與當地居民的合作，似乎促成了近年來江豚不再死亡以及新幼豚的誕生。
當局與保育組織代表指出，六隻幼豚的誕生是令人鼓舞的訊號。然而族群仍屬脆弱，若不進一步減少威脅，復育可能難以穩固。
保護這些動物需要持續關注非法捕撈以及基礎設施項目對河流的影響。
Six new calves offer hope amid ongoing threats to Cambodia’s Irrawaddy dolphins
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