Kutai Kartanegara. Pela Village in Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan Province, is a conservation-oriented tourist destination and a habitat for the protected Mahakam Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), an endemic species of the Mahakam River that is legally protected.

Pela Village embodies the local wisdom of the Kutai people and is dedicated to preserving the habitat of these dolphins. According to local folklore, the Mahakam Dolphin is viewed as a reincarnation of their ancestors. This deep emotional connection fosters a harmonious coexistence between the residents of Pela Village and the Mahakam Dolphin.

Boby Haryanto, a representative from the community empowerment group (Pokdarwis) Bekayuh Baumbai Bebudaya in Pela Village, explains that the Mahakam Dolphin is not just a legend but also feels like family. The dolphins can often be seen playfully surfacing in the river, allowing residents to observe them while they hunt or forage for food.

“The Mahakam Dolphin is an intelligent creature. We love them dearly. If they don’t appear for a day, it feels like something is missing from our lives,” he told the Jakarta Globe.

In 2020, this mammal was classified as critically endangered (CR) according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List. Their population continues to decline, with dolphin deaths reported each year.

The causes of death vary, including entanglement in fishing nets, ingestion of waste, old age, and even noise disturbances. Dolphins rely heavily on echolocation—emitting and interpreting sound waves—for navigation, hunting, and communication, making them particularly sensitive to acoustic disturbances in their environment. Each time a dolphin dies, the residents of Pela Village mourn, prompting various efforts to prevent accidental deaths.

“Deaths from old age are expected. However, those caused by accidents, like entanglement in nets or ingestion of waste, need to be addressed. The declining population is not just a threat but has become a significant problem,” Boby adds.

To educate the community, the empowerment group has established a fishermen’s museum and installed informational signs in conservation areas. Pela Village ensures that tourist boats do not disturb the Mahakam Dolphins and has issued Village Regulation (Perdes) Number 2 of 2018, prohibiting environmentally harmful fishing gear.

Realizing they cannot work alone, the residents of Pela Village collaborate with the Rare Aquatic Species of Indonesia (RASI) Conservation Foundation, which provides education and participates in protecting the Mahakam Dolphin’s habitat.

In 2021, RASI conducted research and recorded the causes of Mahakam Dolphin deaths. Of these, 66 percent were entangled in fishing nets (rengge), 10 percent were hit by boats, 5 percent were due to old age, poisoning, or electric shock, and 9 percent were attributed to other causes. In 2020, it was estimated that only about 62 to 70 Mahakam Dolphins remained.

According to RASI researcher Danielle Kreb, one of the primary causes of dolphin deaths around Pela Village is accidental entanglement in fishing nets.

“Accidental deaths from this fishing gear account for 70 percent of all dolphin deaths. These incidents often occur when they chase fish that have entered the rengge and become trapped,” she explained.

The Pokdarwis of Pela Village and RASI Foundation, in collaboration with Pertamina Hulu Mahakam (PHM), are implementing planned and sustainable protection efforts. One of these initiatives involves providing acoustic pinger devices, which emit acoustic pulses, or "pings," to deter dolphins from approaching fishing nets.

A total of 250 of these banana-shaped devices have been distributed to four villages with predominantly fishing communities: Muara Kaman, Pela, Muara Uwies, and Muara Muntai. These villages serve as transit areas for Mahakam Dolphins seeking food, including Pela Village.

Frans Alexander A Hukom, Head of Communication Relations and CID at Pertamina Hulu Mahakam, said that monitoring dolphin populations and studying their mortality causes has been routinely conducted by PHM annually in collaboration with RASI.

“This is the foundation for PHM to participate and collaborate in preserving the Mahakam Dolphin, an icon of East Kalimantan Province, ensuring that their population does not become extinct in their natural habitat,” he said.