China and Cambodia Join Forces to Safeguard Mekong River Dolphins with High-Tech Solutions

Cambodia announced on August 28 that it will draw on China’s Yangtze River dolphin conservation experience to launch an intelligent monitoring project for Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River. Supported by the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the project will establish an integrated monitoring network spanning land, air, and water through underwater acoustic devices, drone patrols, and remote surveillance. This system will enable real-time tracking of dolphin activities and combat illegal fishing. Data indicates that shipping noise and fishing activities in the Mekong River have severely disrupted the porpoises’ feeding and migration patterns. The new system will provide scientific basis for establishing no-fishing zones and optimizing ecological corridors. This represents a typical implementation of China’s “technology transfer + capacity building” model in biodiversity conservation under the Belt and Road Initiative.