Baiji: The ultimate flagship for conserving the health and biodiversity of China's Yangtze River China's Yangtze finless porpoise: Like people, freshwater dolphins and porpoises need healthy living rivers

These attractive and intelligent creatures inhabit some of the largest river systems of Asia and South America. They are frequently found in deep pool areas that are biological “hotspots� which means that preserving their habitat will also result in benefits for other freshwater species. Freshwater dolphins, porpoises and people in riverine communities both need clean, unpolluted waters to live healthy lives. In these large river systems the presence of freshwater dolphins and porpoises is a good indication that an ecosystem is healthy and productive.

The environmental requirements of freshwater dolphins and porpoises tightly link them to food and water-security issues in some of the world’s most densely populated human environments. As the world’s demand for freshwater grows, their fragile river habitats are being destroyed by increasing industrial and agricultural pollution, over-fishing, intensive floodplain farming, boat traffic, riverside development and water development construction projects, most notably dams, barrages and levees.

In many rivers in Asia these wonderful creatures are disappearing at an alarming rate. Their rapid decline over the last few decades should be seen as a disturbing warning to the millions of riverine people who also depend on the integrity of these freshwater systems. Like people, they need healthy living rivers to survive. Freshwater dolphins and porpoises provide us with a visible reminder of our close spiritual, economic, and ecological connection to living waters.

Globally there are only five species of freshwater dolphin and one species of freshwater porpoise:

• Baiji (Lipotes vexillifer) also known as the Chinese river dolphin, lives exclusively in China’s Yangtze River system.
• Susus (Platanista gangetica spp.) lives in the Indus and Ganges river systems. There are two subspecies known as the susu and the bhulan or Indus susu.
• Freshwater Irrawaddy (Orcaella brevirostris), lives in Cambodia and Lao's Mekong River.
• Boto (Inia geoffrensis), also known as the Inia or Amazon river dolphin, lives in the Amazon and Orinoco river systems in South America.
• Freshwater Tucuxi (Sotalia fluviatilis fluviatilis) are found in the Amazon and Orinoco river systems in South America.
• Yangtze finless porpoise (N. phocaenoides asiaeorientalis) lives exclusively in China’s Yangtze River.

There are a number of reasons for the decline in the populations of river dolphins and the areas they occupy:

• Dam construction projects and riverside development
• Water pollution
• Electro-fishing and over-fishing
• Accidental and deliberate by-catch
• Collisions with boats and ships

The Plight of China's Baiji River Dolphin

In China, the recent economic boom and the huge population is putting increasingly unsustainable pressure on its freshwater ecosystems. If measures are not taken to reduce this pressure or at least manage these resources more effectively – China will run the risk of destroying some of its most important freshwater ecosystems completely – and millions of people will face a freshwater crisis.

The plight of the baiji could not be more urgent and its charisma and extraordinary adaptations make it an ideal flagship species for conserving the ecological health and biodiversity of China's Yangtze River and other threatened freshwater ecosystems around the world.

baiji.org-IHB Best Practice Initiatives

Through developing and publicizing its innovative baiji.org-IHB best practice initiatives – the baiji.org Foundation intends to take small positive steps towards reducing the pressure on the Yangtze’s freshwater ecosystem and through the popularity of dolphins, porpoises and sport - introduce the concept of the looming freshwater crisis on a global scale.