Abu Dhabi, 10 September 2018 – Timor-Leste has confirmed its support towards the protection of dugongs and their vital seagrass habitats by becoming the 27th Signatory to the CMS Dugong MOU. The Secretary of State for the Environment, H.E. Demétrio do Amaral de Carvalho signed the MOU earlier today at a signing ceremony in Dili, Timor-Leste. Present at the ceremony were the Secretary of State for Social Communication, H.E. Merício Juvenal dos Reis ‘Akara, the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, H.E. Joaquin José Gusmão dos Reis Martins, along with Dr. Donna Kwan from the CMS Dugong MOU Secretariat and Ms. Maya Bankova, Project Coordinator for the GEF Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project (GEF Project).

The dugong and seagrass conservation activities undertaken by Timor-Leste under the GEF Project represent a significant contribution to international dugong and seagrass conservation efforts. Since the project’s inception, 12 communities in Timor-Leste are actively conserving their seagrasses through the creation of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) and another community has identified an area to be protected as a dugong specific MPA.

The Dugong MOU came into force on 31 October 2007. The Dugong MOU Secretariat is hosted by Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi on behalf of the Government of the UAE.