Maputo,
18 April 2011 - The largest remaining dugong populations
in East Africa have received a welcomed boost for their
continued survival today, when Mozambique became the 19th
Signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the
Conservation of Dugongs and their Habitats throughout their
Range.

The dugong populations, centred in the
Bazaruto Bay area in Mozambique are regionally significant
as they are the largest in East Africa with 200-300 individuals.
Minister for Coordination of Environmental Affairs, Alcinda
António de Abreu, signed the Dugong MOU in Maputo
on 18 April, making Mozambique the newest Signatory to the
MOU. The signing also commemorates the launch of a new pilot
project in Bazaruto Bay, which trials financial incentives
for dugong conservation and updates information on dugong
distribution, impact from by-catch and their habitats in
Mozambique.

Read the Minister's speech here: [English][Portuguese]