title: Humpback Dolphins in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta: Status, Threats and Conservation Challenges.
abstract: In coastal waters of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) is thought to number approximately 2500 individuals. Given these figures, the putative PRD population may appear strong enough to resist demographic stochasticity and environmental pressures. However, living in close proximity to the world's busiest seaport/airport and several densely populated urban centres with major coastal infrastructural developments comes with challenges to the long-term survival of these animals. There are few other small cetacean populations that face the range and intensity of human-induced pressures as those present in the PRD and current protection measures are severely inadequate. Recent mark-recapture analyses of the animals in Hong Kong waters indicate that in the past two decades the population parameters have not been well understood, and spatial analyses show that only a very small proportion of the dolphins' key habitats are given any form of protection. All current marine protected areas within the PRD fail to meet a minimum habitat requirement that could facilitate the population's long-term persistence. Demographic models indicate a continuous decline of 2.5% per annum, a rate at which the population is likely to drop below the demographic threshold within two generations and lose 74% of the current numbers within the lifespan of three generations. In Hong Kong, the case of humpback dolphins represents a particularly explicit example of inadequate management where a complete revision of the fundamental approach to conservation management is urgently needed.
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong. Electronic address: leszek@hku.hk.
authors.forename: Leszek
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Karczmarski
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Shiang-Lin
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Carmen K M
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Or
authors.affiliation: South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Utilization Collaborative Innovation Center, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Duan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gui
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Stephen C Y
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong; South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Utilization Collaborative Innovation Center, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Wenzhi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: SMRU Asia Pacific, The University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Wai-Ho
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong; South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Utilization Collaborative Innovation Center, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Ruiqiang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Yuen-Wa
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Scott Y S
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Chui
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Angelico Jose C
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Tiongson
authors.affiliation: South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Utilization Collaborative Innovation Center, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Yaqian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Wei-Lun
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: John H W
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kwok
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Ricky W K
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Andy T L
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Sze-Wing
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Yiu
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong; Centre for Wildlife Management, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keith
authors.affiliation: The Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Cape d'Aguilar, Shek O, Hong Kong; Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, Washington, USA.
authors.forename: Glenn
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gailey
authors.affiliation: South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Utilization Collaborative Innovation Center, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, PR China. Electronic address: exwyp@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yuping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D063147:Animal Distribution; D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004289:Dolphins / Q000502:physiology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D056727:Endangered Species; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006802:Human Activities; D008297:Male; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology; D045483:Rivers
keywords: Coastal habitats and environmental degradation; Conservation management; Hong Kong and Pearl River Delta/Pearl River Estuary; IUCN conservation assessment; Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins; Marine protected area; Noise pollution; Pollutants and bioaccumulation; Population parameters and trend; Population viability; Sousa chinensis