he East Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) has been exploring the possibility of turning part of Mahakam river into a conservation area to save Mahakam porpoises (orcaella brevirostris, sp) from extinction, an official has said.
"Part of Mahakam river is subject to implementation of a conservation regulation. The river will be free of fishing nets. Boats that pass through the river should move at low speed. Fishing nets and ship propellers have killed many porpoises in the past few years," the East Kalimantan chapter of BKSDA`s conservation division head for Tenggarong area Ivan Susfi Noor said here Thursday.
Mahakam river that passed through Muara Kaman in Kutai Kartanegara district would be developed into a conservation area for porpoises.
In the past, the BKSDA built a conservation area for porpoises in Muara Pahu subdistrict, Kutai Barat district.
"So, the project would only extend the conservation area from Muara Pahau to Muara Kaman," Ivan said.
The project will be built in association with the Indonesian Rare Aquatic Species Conservation Foundation (RASI).
RASI in a study conducted in 2006 found that the population of the endangered mammals had been reduced to 70 and that an average of four porpoises died each year.
Porpoises are only found in Mahakam, Mekong (Vietnam) and Irawady (Myanmar) rivers.(*)
Copyright © 2007 ANTARA
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