New website describes local efforts to conserve what is thought is the last viable dugong population in the Western Indian Ocean. www.dugongs.org

The Technical Meeting for the Conservation of the Dugong and its Habitat in the South West Indian Ocean (SWIO) brought together 29 participants to Madagascar representing eight dugong range states from the East African coast and Western Indian Ocean Islands.

The UNEP/CMS Abu Dhabi Office organised a workshop in the 30th Annual Sea Turtle Symposium on 25–30 April 2010 in Goa, India. The workshop entitled “Conservation of Marine Turtles and Dugongs: Shared Synergies and Opportunities” explored the overlaps to conservation and management of these species and their habitats, A focus on species conservation and habitat protection are features of both the IOSEA MoU and the Dugong MoU.

Under the auspices of the UNEP/CMS Dugong MoU, a workshop was convened in Singapore to develop a standardized questionnaire survey format which will be used in Dugong MoU-funded regional assessment projects.