We are pleased to share this short documentary of community-based dugong tracking with permission from the Li-Anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers in Australia’s Northern Territory.
Despite the uncertainties and restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, activities under the Seagrass Ecosystem Services Project are getting underway. The project is led by the CMS Dugong MOU Secretariat as part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI), supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Timor-Leste launch CMS initiative to protect and restore critical seagrass ecosystems through local monitoring and assessment, policy guidance, and conservation-enhancing startup businesses.
Dr Donna Kwan from the Dugong MOU Secretariat attended the closing workshop of the Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project (DSCP) in Bali, Indonesia from 26 to 28 February 2019. The workshop was funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The four-year project, Enhancing the Conservation Effectiveness of Seagrass Ecosystems Supporting Globally Significant Populations of Dugongs across the Indian and Pacific Ocean Basins, commenced in 2015 and covered 43 national projects across Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mozambique, the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu.
During the 13th Meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP13) to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar) held in Dubai, the Dugong and Seagrass Research Toolkit was demonstrated and discussed in a side-event organized by the Dugong MoU Secretariat and Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD). With the theme, ‘Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future’, COP13 provided the perfect forum to learn about the most appropriate tools and techniques to use in researching dugong and seagrass conservation.
Voting is now open for the 2018 Google Impact Challenge and a project from Murdoch University, led by two members of the Dugong Technical Group Dr Amanda Hodgson and Dr Christophe Cleguer, has made it to the Top 10!
A set of guidelines for interacting with dugongs was launched last week by the Vanuatu Environmental Science Society (VESS) and is now available online. The guidelines are intended to facilitate a friendly environment to interact with dugongs for anyone in and around dugong habitats. The launch event was attended by the Vanuatu Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Director of Tourism along with diving and tour operators, hoteliers, sporting groups, NGO and other members of the public.
