World Wildlife Fund is taking to the internet to halt a hydropower project it claims will serve as the nail in the coffin for the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphin.

On Friday, WWF launched an online petition calling on the developers of Laos’s 120 megawatt Don Sahong dam to suspend the project, which is slated to break ground by the end of this year. The petition aims to collect 50,000 signatures by August, when WWF will meet with Malaysian developers Mega First Berhad.

“WWF hopes that Mega First will not start construction until they conduct proper studies on transboundary impacts, taking into account consultation with communities downstream,” the conservation group said yesterday, reiterating a request made by Cambodia and neighbouring Mekong governments.

WWF previously issued a scientific review of the project, predicting dire results for the Mekong’s ecosystem, including potentially eradicating several fish species and threatening food security.