Maputo, 18 April 2011 – The largest remaining dugong populations in East Africa have received a welcomed boost for their continued survival today, when Mozambique became the 19th Signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Conservation of Dugongs and their Habitats throughout their Range.

The dugong populations, centered in the Bazaruto Bay area in Mozambique are regionally significant as they are the largest in East Africa with 200-300 individuals. Minister for Coordination of Environmental Affairs, Alcinda António de Abreu, signed the Dugong MOU in Maputo on 18 April, making Mozambique the newest Signatory to the MOU. The signing also commemorates the launch of a new pilot project in Bazaruto Bay, which trials financial incentives for dugong conservation and updates information on dugong distribution, impact from by-catch and their habitats in Mozambique.