The Dugong (Dugong dugon), commonly known as the sea cow, is a sea grass-dependant marine mammal of tropical and subtropical coastal waters, with high genetic biodiversity value. It is the sole member of the genus dugong, which is the only extant member of the Family Dugongidae .

Amongst the marine mammals, the dugong is unique in being the only species that is completely herbivorous. Throughout their range which includes at least 48 countries from east Africa to Vanuatu between about 26 degrees north and south of the Equator, dugongs are under pressure from a range of human activities. Dugongs are vulnerable to human-related influences due to their life history and their dependence on sea grasses that are restricted to coastal habitats, and which are often under increased pressure from human activities .

Development of the Memorandum of Understanding

Currently dugongs are classified as vulnerable to extinction under the 2009 World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, which indicates that they face a high-risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future. CMS lists the dugong (Dugong dugon) in its Appendix II, meaning that the conservation of the species would benefit from international cooperative activities organized across the Dugong's migratory range.

Two meetings of the CMS Conference of the Parties provided the impetus to develop an appropriate legal instrument, including a conservation and management plan, to conserve the dugong under CMS auspices. The initiative to develop such an instrument was led by the Governments of Australia and Thailand, in close coordination with the CMS Secretariat.

Two intergovernmental meetings were held in Bangkok, Thailand, under the auspices of CMS, in August 2005 and May 2006. (Please follow the link "Meetings" above to download the meeting reports). The Second Meeting on Dugong Conservation and Management (Bangkok, May 2006) strongly endorsed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and associated Conservation and Management Plan (CMP). The third meeting was held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on 28-31 October 2007; it saw the conclusion of the negotiations and an agreement on the final text of the MOU.

The agreement – Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs and their Habitats throughout their Range (UNEP/CMS Dugong MoU) – entered into force on 31 October 2007 after being signed by 7 range states (Australia, Eritrea, France, Madagascar, Myanmar, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania). They were joined later by 4 additional signatories (India, Comoros, Kenya, the Philippines) and followed by 7 range states in 2010 (Bahrain, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Yemen), of which 5 signed the agreement at the First Official Signatory State meeting of the UNEP/CMS Dugong MoU in Abu Dhabi, held on 4-6 October 2010. The signatories in 2011 were Mozambique and Thailand, and the latest signatory is Sri Lanka in January 2012, bringing the total number of signatories to 21. See Dugong MoU summary sheet here.”

The Dugong MoU

The MoU is designed to facilitate national level and transboundary actions that will lead to the conservation of dugong populations and their habitats. The CMP provides the basis for focused species and habitat-specific activities, coordinated across the Dugong’s migratory range. The CMP has nine objectives:

* Reduce direct and indirect causes of dugong mortality
* Improve our understanding of dugong through research and monitoring
* Protect, conserve and manage habitats for dugong
* Improve our understanding of dugong habitats through research and monitoring
* Raise awareness of dugong conservation
* Enhance national, regional and international cooperation
* Promote implementation of the MoU
* Improve legal protection of dugongs and their habitats
* Enhance national, regional and international cooperation on capacity building

Together, the MoU and CMP is intended to be the primary platform for conservation actions on behalf of the species in all of the waters of coastal and archipelagic States of the Indian Ocean, East Asia, and the western Pacific Ocean, as well as their adjacent seas.

UNEP/CMS Abu Dhabi Office

The Dugong MoU is serviced by the UNEP/CMS Abu Dhabi Office being hosted by the Government and the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD). The new Office represents a major collaboration between UNEP and the United Arab Emirates to conserve migratory species for the benefit of present and future generations. The UNEP/CMS Project Office provides a framework with a coordinating role to tackle major threats and identify effective tools to reverse declining trends and to secure a favorable status for regionally important migratory species including dugongs, birds of prey and marine turtles, under the auspices of UNEP/CMS.

UNEP would like to thank the United Arab Emirates, the Government of Abu Dhabi and the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) for their commitment and substantial contribution to conserving biological diversity and especially migratory species at an international level.