Baiji Reserves and Protection Stations Satellite image of Tian-e-Zhou (Swan) Oxbow Semi Natural Baiji Reserve - proposed site for the ex-situ conservation of baiji

Legal Protection within China

In response to the baiji's obvious decline, the Chinese Government moved to protect the baiji in 1975, under National Law, and designated it a ‘National Treasure’ in an effort to promote wider support for its conservation. Since 1992, it has also set aside five protected areas along the length of the Yangtze and declared them as National and Provincial baiji reserves. Catching or killing a dolphin deliberately is punishable offence and lawbreakers can expect to face heavy fines or even a long jail sentence.

Threats

Since baiji research began in the late 70's, the population has declined by over 80%. The rapid decline in recent years may be attributed to a combination of factors, which either kill the dolphins directly or affect them indirectly by reducing the quality of their habitat. A major threat is through entanglement in fishermen’s nets, causing the animals to drown. The dolphins also were at risk from harmful (rolling hook) fishing gear, but rolling hooks have now been banned. The highly unsustainable and illegal practice of fishing with electricity, accounted for over 40% of recorded baiji deaths during the 1990s. Over-fishing to feed the increasing human population also reduces the availability of the baiji’s prey, making it harder for them to get enough food. Intensification of river traffic has meant increased risk of death through collision with boats and their propellers. The dolphins have also been indirectly affected by increased levels of engine noise from the boats, which interferes with the dolphin’s own sounds used for social interaction and for locating food. New dams have obstructed natural migration patterns and made important feeding and breeding areas inaccessible. Their construction (including underwater blasting) will also have resulted directly in fatalities. Moreover, the banks of the Yangtze have been greatly modified to prevent flooding of adjacent land. Such projects have had great impacts on the ecosystem, both during construction and from the resulting habitat change. Water pollution is another serious problem, as some 15.6 billion cubic meters of waste water are discharged into the Yangtze every year, most of which is untreated sewage and industrial effluent. The former results in reduced oxygen levels in the water and consequent reductions in fish numbers, the latter includes many poisons that are liable to accumulate and kill fish and dolphins alike.

These threats are ongoing and will intensify with each year that China’s economy continues to boom and reap the benefits of economic success. At present the demands of the human population for water, food and energy provide an urgency that simply overrides consideration for natural fauna.

Population

The number of baiji left in the Yangtze remains uncertain. But, there is no doubt at all that the numbers are critically low, less than 100. The most recent surveys conducted between 1997 and 1999 have led scientists to believe that the minimum number of baiji left in the Yangtze could be as low as 13 individuals. However, both Chinese and international experts are optimistic that improved surveying techniques could help find a greater number of dolphins.

Rate of Decline

A report published in 2003 by the Institute of Hydrobiology concluded that the population is probably declining by about 10% per year, suggesting that total extinction cannot be far off and will occur within less than a decade even if numbers are greater than the 13 individuals.

Distribution

At one time, the baiji occurred along 1700km of the Yangtze River, from the magnificent Three Gorges all the way to the river mouth near Shanghai. They were often seen in tributaries such as the Fuchun River and two of China's largest lakes: Dongting and Poyang Hu. But in the last 30 years their range has shrunk, and today the river dolphins are only known to inhabit the 1400km river section between Jingzhou and Jiangyin, where they are largely confined to the main Yangtze channel because of dams that block off the tributaries. Dolphins are already extinct in the Dongting and Poyang Lake areas, where none have been seen since 1999.

The remaining population is highly fragmented within this 1400km range and the distance between the nearest two social groups is increasing. The last survey identified three "hot-spots" where baiji were generally seen, these are Honghu, Balijiankou and Tongling. However, very little is known about the individual movements of these dolphins and the limited evidence would suggest that their distribution is dynamic. They don't tend to stay in one place for very long and they can make long-range movements of up to 300km at one time.

Latest Confirmed Baiji Sightings

09/2004: Tongling Reserve: One large adult dolphin
07/2004: Honghu Reserve: Two dolphins (one large adult, one juvenile)

National and Provincial Baiji Reserves

There are four sections of the main Yangtze channel where baiji are actively protected and where fishing is completely banned: the Shishou City and Xin-Luo National Baiji Reserves and the Tongling and Zhenjiang Provincial Baiji Reserves. A fifth protected area is an isolated oxbow lake located off of the north bank of the river near Shishou City: the Tian-e-Zhou Oxbow Semi Natural Baiji Reserve. The total protected area covers just over 350km of the baiji's natural range. This means that 2/3rds of the species habitat is unprotected.

Shishou City National Baiji Reserve:

Located Hubei Province, 20km down river from Shishou City and covers the 89km section of the main channel between Xingchang and Tashiyi

Xin-Lou (Honghu) National Baiji Reserve:

Located in Hubei Province, covers the 135.5km section between Xintankou to Luoshan

Tongling Provincial Baiji Reserve:

Located in Anhui Province, Tongling reserve covers the 110km section between San-jiang-kou to Di-gang

Zhenjiang Provincial Baiji Reserve:

Located in Jiangsu Province, Zhenjiang is a local reserve which covers the 10km section between Sanjiangying and Jiangxinzhou

Tian-e-Zhou Oxbow "Semi Natural" Baiji Reserve:

Located in Hubei Province, in countryside on the north bank of the river next to Heng Guo Town (opposite Shishou City, on the south bank). This 21km oxbow was formed naturally in 1972 and was previously inhabited by baiji before it was cut off from the main channel.

These sites were originally chosen because higher numbers of baiji were seen in these areas than anywhere else along the Yangtze. The Tian-e-Zhou oxbow is the only oxbow that is both suitable and large enough to support a viable "semi-captive" population of baiji. There are presently no baiji in the Tian-e-Zhou Reserve.

Baiji Protection Stations

In addition to these reserves, there are 5 Baiji Protection Stations in Jianli, Chenglingji, Hukou, Wuhu and Zhengjiang. A "protection station" simply consists of two observers and a small motorized fishing boat. The purpose of these stations is to conduct daily patrols, make observations and investigate reports of illegal fishing.

Baiji Conservation Management

Both the reserves and protection stations are managed by the Provincial Fisheries Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, who are in turn advised by research teams from the Wuhan Institute of Hydrobiology and Nanjing Normal University. The conservation work is carried out by government officials, scientists and often ex-fishermen.

The reserves initiative has come a long way since its launch in 1992, but there is still much work that needs to be done. Daily conservation duties should include patrols of all the protected areas, but boats are expensive to run and lack of funding means that this is not always possible. In addition to this, the patrol boats are old and are often not fast enough to catch up with reported illegal fishermen. There is little communication between reserves managed by separate provincial authorities, and no mechanism in place for protection stations to communicate with each other. At present, they simply lack the financial resources and manpower to enforce protective legislation and carry out essential research and conservation work over the baiji’s vast distribution range.

Future Conservation Work

The Yangtze is one of the world’s busiest waterways. It continues to suffer massive habitat degradation and the associated human activities are the main threat to the baiji’s survival. The greatest dangers include illegal electro-fishing practices, engineering explosions for maintaining navigation channels, intensifying boat traffic and pollution.

The scattered remnants of the baiji population now also face geographical isolation and the risk of not being able to find each other to mate. This potentially serious problem is often overlooked, but is a particular issue in what is one of the world’s largest rivers. Genetic and demographic consequences (inbreeding for example) associated with a very small population size can easily result in extinction even when effective measures are put in place to protect the animals and their habitat.

The extremely small numbers, and the pervasive and increasing habitat degradation, mean that recent efforts to conserve the baiji have focused on attempting to remove the remaining animals from the main river and transfer them to the Tian-e-Zhou Oxbow Semi Natural Baiji Reserve. Here, in this semi-natural reserve, the threats can be more easily controlled and the animals may have a better chance of survival. However, no baiji have yet been translocated into the reserve due to the difficulty of locating and capturing them. This strategy is known as ex-situ conservation (i.e. away from where they normally live).

Not all conservation biologists agree that the ex-situ strategy will increase the survival prospects for this species and would prefer to see the dolphin protected in its natural environment (in-situ conservation). However, Chinese scientists believe that, given the intractable nature of the threats to the baiji, it is impossible to improve the situation in the main river in sufficient time to ensure the species survival. They have therefore concluded that ex-situ conservation is the best option for saving the baiji river dolphin.

While this discussion continues, it is clear that unless immediate action is taken to halt its decline, the baiji will become the first species of whale or dolphin to become extinct in modern times as a result of human activity alone.

The Greatest Challenge of All

Too little is known about the baiji’s natural behaviour, population size and remaining habitats to allow conservationists to protect them effectively. Rounding up the last survivors and moving them to the safety of the Tian-e-Zhou reserve could be the best hope for the species survival. But even if this is the case – no one knows where to find them! China’s economy may be booming, but its investment into protecting its freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity has not been reflected by this. There have been no baiji surveys carried out in the last six years.

Specialists who attended the "Workshop on the Conservation of Baiji and Finless Porpoise 2004" unanimously agreed that immediate action must be taken. A full survey of the baiji’s present range must be carried out to establish its current distribution and population size. Only when this information is available, can effective plans be made and measures be taken to save the species from extinction.

The baiji.org Foundation is presently organizing a survey of the baiji's entire range for November 2006.