October 29, 2025 | 08:57 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Minister of Environment and Forestry, Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, aims to protect the pesut dolphin, or the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) population in the Mahakam River, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, by stopping the transportation of coal through the small river. He stated that the current population of these mammals, the Pesut Mahakam or the Mahakam River Dolphin, is 64, which is an increase from the previous count of 62 in July.
"We are coordinating with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries to halt coal transportation through the small tributaries," he said during a meeting at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Tuesday, October 28, 2025.
Hanif mentioned that the 64 count serves as an indicator of the population, meaning that a more suitable ecosystem will lead to an increase in the pesut population. Conversely, a declining number of pesut indicates an unsuitable ecosystem for them.
The endemic freshwater mammals also live in the tributaries of the Mahakam River, but the pesut population is decreasing due to the widespread coal transportation and stockpile facilities. To protect the pesut, Hanif proposed a solution to transport the coal via land or the main river routes. "Almost 900 barges pass through the Mahakam River every day, and it turns out that some still use the smaller routes where the pesut are hiding," he explained.
Hanif mentioned that the ministry has appointed four local experts and members of the local community to assist in the protection of the pesut. Additionally, a mapping of threats has been conducted, which include mining and domestic waste, barge collisions, and illegal fishing practices using electrofishing and fish bombs.
The conservation of the Mahakam River dolphin has become one of the national priority agendas of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Furthermore, these animals are classified as critically endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. "Let's save our biodiversity, which reportedly ranks second in the world after Brazil," Hanif urged.
Editor's Choice: The Threat of Extinction of the Irrawaddy Dolphin
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