Abu Dhabi, 6 December 2023 - The Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs (Dugong dugon) and their Habitats throughout their Range (Dugong

Abu Dhabi, UAE - The Convention on the Conservation of Mig

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) has successfully rescued and rehabilitated a dugong calf, discovered stranded at the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve, Abu Dhabi in 2019.

South Africa, 14th October

The Kingdom of Bahrain has acceded to the Convention bringing the number of Parties to 133.  It joins the ever-growing number of contracting Parties from Asia. The Kingdom of Bahrain, whose capital is Manana, is an island country located in the Persian Gulf that comprises an archipelago of natural islands and artificial islands with a total land area of 728 km2 and approximately 3000 km2 of territorial waters. 

The CMS Dugong MoU Secretariat is excited to announce the launch of a new call for concept notes until 17th May 2021 to support community-led activities that address key threats to dugongs and seagrass. 

Abu Dhabi, 9th December 2020 - The Dugong MOU Secretariat is pleased to share a call for Expressions of Interest in the position of Project Manager for

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.

Dugong and Seagrass Research Toolkit Helps Conservationists in Diverse Range States 

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.

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!

Good news for dugongs in the Solomon Islands, it is now against the law to fish, retain, be in possession of, buy, sell or export dugongs in the Solomon Islands. Any violation of this law is punishable by four months in prison and/or SI$40,000 fine (USD 5,000).

Dr Donna Kwan from the CMS Dugong MOU Secretariat undertook a site visit to Bazaruto Archipelago to meet with local partners from 11-19 August 2018. With a population of approximately 300 dugongs, Bazaruto is the last remaining stronghold for dugongs in East Africa. The mission aimed to assess and better understand the local conditions to ensure the successful implementation of conservation interventions in the Bazaruto Archipelago.

Dr Donna Kwan from the CMS Dugong MOU Secretariat attended the Dugong and Seagrass Workshop, held from 5-8 March 2018 in Munda, Solomon Islands. The Workshop, hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project brought together delegates from four of the five Pacific island dugong range states.

Trang, Thailand, 10 February 2018 –  Anantara Si Kao Resort has officially opened the Dugong Education and Conservation Centre (DECC) in Trang, Thailan

The 22nd Biennial Conference of the Biology of Marine Mammals was held in Halifax, Canada from 22 -27 October 2017. The event, hosted by the Society for Marine Mammalogy, was followed by the Eighth International Sirenian Symposium on 28 October.

A new look Dugong and Seagrass Research Toolkit was unveiled over the weekend. The Toolkit, a collaboration between Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, TOTAL, Total Abu Al Bukhoosh, and CMS Dugong MOU Secretariat, is a decision-support tool for dugong and seagrass conservation.

Abu Dhabi, 13 March 2017 – Delegates from twenty-three countries, along with the world’s leading dugong and seagrass experts, gather today under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) for the opening of the Third Meeting of Signatories (MOS3) to Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs and their Habitats (Dugong MOU).

The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) together with the CMS Dugong MOU Secretariat are pleased to announce that a Seagrass and Dugong Technical Workshop will be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates,on 15-16 March 2017. The workshop will be highly interactive and of relevance to researchers, conservation practitioners and marine resource managers.

Today the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project unveiled its new, interactive and informative website that includes information about the project, resources for dugong and seagrass conservation, as well as information for project partners. The website was launched at an event hosted by Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, where the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (the MBZ Fund) publicly announced the GEF grant for the project.

Experts in dugong, seagrasses and community-based management met in Bangkok on 15-17 February 2016 to provide guidance and advice on current efforts and future directions for a number of major projects included in the work plan of the CMS Dugong MOU Secretariat.

A number of high-achieving James Cook University (JCU) alumni were honoured at a special ceremony in Townsville, Australia on 7 September 2015. Dr Donna Kwan, Programme Manager of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Dugong Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Secretariat, received JCU 2015 Outstanding Alumni Award in Marine and Environmental Sciences category.

A consortium of institutions is beginning a multi-year study of the occurrence, numbers and identity of dugongs in the Western Indian Ocean (Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya and Seychelles). There is an opportunity for students at the PhD level, though MSc students will also be considered. See the full announcement in the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association Blog.

Abu Dhabi is leading efforts to protect the elusive marine mammal associated with mermaid legends. GN Focus explains what its decline means for the region's marine economy.

Hoyt Peckham, one of the Technical Advisors to the CMS Dugong MoU, has been awarded a 2014 Pew fellowship in marine conservation to expand on his work on incentivizing sustainable fishing along the coast of Northwest Mexico to other communities in the region and around the world.

The latest issue of Sirenews (the biannual newsletter of the IUCN/SSC Sirenia Specialist Group) is now available online. The IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) is a science-based network of volunteer experts working together towards achieving the vision of "A world that values and conserves present levels of biodiversity".

The Second Signatory State Meeting for the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs and their Habitats throughout their Range (Dugong MOU) was hosted by the Government of the Philippines on 19 and 20 February in Manila, Philippines.

The latest issue of Seagrass-Watch news (the official magazine of the global seagrass and assessment program) is now available online.

A programme to improve livelihoods and create economic opportunity in exchange for the conservation of dugongs and their seagrass habitat was officially launched in Abu Dhabi today.

Sri Lanka has pledged its support to the long-term survival of the dugongs and the protection of their critical seagrass habitats by becoming a signatory state to the dugong MoU

In association with the 7th WIOMSA Scientific Symposium in Mombasa, Kenya, the UNEP/CMS Dugong MOU Secretariat organized a special session on progressing dugong conservation in the South West Indian Ocean sub-region, on Friday 28 October 2011.

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 Kingdom of Thailand became the 20th signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs and their Habitats throughout their Range (Dugong MOU) today, when Minister Suwit Khunkitti of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment signed the Dugong MOU in Bangkok.

Marine Mammal Legislation and Enforcement Workshop was held in Palau International Coral Reef Center on 27 April 2011, and have now passed new, stricter dugong legislation, which increases the penalties for killing or causing injury to a dugong or possessing or selling any dugong parts or products and for other related purposes.

The Pacific Year of the Dugong was launched in Daru, Papua New Guinea (PNG), with great celebration on 24 March 2011.

The Pacific Year of the Dugong (PYoD) is a campaign led by the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and supported by UNEP/CMS, aiming at boosting the conservation of dugongs and its seagrass habitats.

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.