Towards a Western Indian Ocean DUGONG Conservation Strategy

Dugongs occur in shallow tropical and subtropical coastal and island waters of the Indo-Pacific. They are threatened worldwide due to loss and degradation of seagrass pastures, fishing pressure, indigenous use and hunting, and coastal pollution and are listed globally by IUCN as vulnerable to extinction.The WIO region harbours an important remnant population of the threatened dugong and in a recent UNEP/IUCN report on their global status, extinction of the dugong in the WIO region was considered inevitable without immediate and effective conservation measures. Information on the status of dugongs in the WIO is scanty. To date, research and conservation activities have tended to operate in isolation and a regional-scale assessment has never been undertaken.

Such an approach is considered essential given their critical status and the growing evidence that dugongs can travel long distances. In 2001, in recognition of the need for effective management of dugongs in the WIO region, Decision CP.3/4 of the 3rd Conference of the Parties of the Nairobi Convention requested regional and international organisations to facilitate the development of a regional initiative to protect the dugong. In response to this decision, UNEP with assistance from WWF provided financial support for countries in the region to carry out rapid national assessments of dugong status, the overall aim being to recognise key locations, critical habitats and threats to dugongs and to identify emergency conservation strategies and actions. Between April 2003 and March 2004, 7 countries in the region - Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, Seychelles, Comoros and Mayotte/Reunion – gathered information on the status, distribution and threats to dugongs and made recommendations for research and conservation.

Data were collected through a review of existing literature, questionnaire surveys and opportunistic sightings. Historical data indicate that dugong populations have suffered a steep decline in most countries since the 1960s. In Kenya, large herds were reported in the 1950s and ‘60s and a 500-strong group was seen in 1967. In Tanzania groups of up to 20-30 animals were commonly seen in the Mafia – Rufiji area at this time. In Madagascar and Mayotte fishers have witnessed a decline since the early 1980s while in Mozambique the decline may have been more recent, escalating since the end of the civil war in 1992.