Safe havens for river dolphins – A rapid assessment of site-management against the Conservation Assured | River Dolphin Standards

Are protected areas that host river dolphins actually protecting these species?
This quick assessment (‘CA|RDS Lite’), scanned one-third of all river dolphin protected areas (40 sites from 10 countries in South America and Asia), scoring on average a 52% on their management implementation (on a scale from 0-100). This is expected not to be enough to safeguard the future of these keystone species. The report elaborates this score into eight key pillars of protected area management, driving conclusions which areas need most attention.
The study includes an analysis of threats reported by the site-managers, both inside and outside of the protected areas, indicating that threats are increasing. This expected development emphasizes the need for sound protected area management.
Some sites are managed very well, which can guide and support other site-managers to improve their management practices.