Recovery plan for dugong
Conservation strategies and goals
The dugong is one of the surviving species in the order of Sirenia and is the only existing species of the herbivorous mammals that live in the sea(Karunarathna, Navaratne, Perera & Samarawickrama, 2011). The dugong is protected in India and occurs in the Gulf of Manner, the Gulf of Kutch, and Nicobar islands. Once the abundance in Indian waters, the dugong population has reduced to 200 individuals and believed to decline in its number and range. Dugong conservationism nothing but the coastal conservation being a flagship species in its scope. To conserve and manage the declining population of dugong in India, the ministry of health forest and climate change under the government of India has constituted some task force for the conservation of dugong (Karunarathna, Navaratne, Perera & Samarawickrama, 2011). This is to look into the entire issues that relate to the maintenance of dugong and implementing it. It also would help facilitate the country to the act of leading the south Asian region concerning dugong conservation.
The task force has made some analysis of the entire spectrum of the issues that dugong and their habitat conservation(Karunarathna, Navaratne, Perera & Samarawickrama, 2011). The task force recommends some goals and objectives for the conservation and management plan for dugong and their habitats. Some of the goals that they make are to improve the understanding of dugong through research and monitoring and also their habitats(Karunarathna, Navaratne, Perera & Samarawickrama, 2011). Another goal is to conserve the species to help reduce the direct and indirect causes of dugong mortality. Conserving the habitat for dugong and promote awareness and education. Also, to develop a legal framework of the dugongs and their habitats. They are enhancing national, regional, and international cooperation and implementation of the world live in India. This would help the conservation action plan mainly through research, monitoring, and working with the communities to conserve the dugong(Karunarathna, Navaratne, Perera & Samarawickrama, 2011). This programmer is to be carried out by some stakeholders, the forest department, and the Indian government.
Status of the dugong population
The dugong is the only Sirenian in its range, which spans the water in more than 40 countries(K. Bass, 2010). It is dependent primarily on the seagrass communities for subsistence, and thus it is restricted to coastal habitats that support the seagrass meadows. The dugong has a fusiform body with no dorsal fin and has the forelimbs that are peddling like (K. Bass, 2010). This makes them easy to distinguish from other manatees and has a snout that is sharp downturned to adapt for feeding in benthic seagrass communities
The dugong has been hunted for years due to its oil and meat(K. Bass, 2010). The traditional hunting of dugong has a great significance in several countries. The dugong distribution is fragmented, and many populations believe its close to extinction. The convectional on international trade endangers this species and limits the bans of business to the delivered products. Despite dugong being legally protected(K. Bass, 2010).The leading causes of anthropogenic include fishing-related activities, habitat degradation, and hunting. It has a lifespan of 70 years and a slow rate of reproducing more, especially on the vulnerable to extinction(K. Bass, 2010). The dugong is found in warm waters around the coastal, and the large numbers are concentrated in wide and shallow bays. It is strictly a herbivore mammal and its located in shallow waters that are used for calving, minimizing the risk of predation.
The dugong is long-lived, and the oldest age specimen reached. They have natural predators such as crocodiles and also are recorded to die of trauma. The animals are solitary due to the inability of the seagrass beds to support a significant population. The animals can go six minutes without breathing, and they communicate through chirps and whistles. The dugong ate semi-nomadic and thus traveled in search of food. Their reproduction age reaches the age of eight to eighteen, and mating varies.
The priority of dugong and population
The dugong is associated with myths and legends(Mobjörk & Linnér, 2006). This is because they are associated with mermaids. The commercial hunting of dugong is banned from the risk of the species in the destruction of seagrass through human activities. For example, fishing gear, boat strikes, and chemical pollution. These make them the distinct population that may constitute genetically species highlighting the importance to conserve the population. They live in shallow waters of the tropical seas where there is an abundance of grass that is their diet. The species is strictly marine than the manatees and found in the freshwaters. The dugongs are found in groups of two to two hundred individuals. They are shy, and when approached, they dive when a diver comes closer or a boat rider. The dugongs are economically valuable while alive as they form of ecotourism (Mobjörk & Linnér, 2006). This makes the activities of dugong watching that help the local economies Population of the dugongs are unstable to rebound due to the low rate of reproduction. The female dugong bled for a maximum of 5%making it a small lifespan and small natural to maturity rate and lack of predators.
Strategic action for the dugong conservation
The ID1 seeks to tackle policy barriers to dugong and seagrass conservation that applies to the enforcement of existing national legislation(Karunarathna, Navaratne, Perera & Samarawickrama, 2011). Their objective is to facilitate the implementation of the existence of government regulation, particularly to where the dugong is protected. This would develop a strategic plan and national plan of action as well to establish a national dugong conservation committee(Karunarathna, Navaratne, Perera & Samarawickrama, 2011). This will provide incentives for the local communities to reduce destructive practices and promote the integration of dugong conservation. The NPOA will again develop a desk study and symposium to review the existing data in a refined group discussion that would adopt a national workshop to the attended institution and other representatives.
Threats and challenges
The dugong is known to migrate and disperse over vast distances(Hanafy, Gheny, Rouphael, Salam & Fouda, 2006). This is because their survival is dependent on the conservation and management over their coastal habitat. Human activities threaten the dugongs’ population directly and indirectly, including the destruction of their habitat, hunting, and poaching. Many of dugong range countries are less developed where the levels of poverty are high, and the communities depend on them for survival(Hanafy, Gheny, Rouphael, Salam & Fouda, 2006). Lack of alternatives in these communities’ results to the exploitation of the marine resources and the subsequent harvesting practices damages the ecosystem to where these mammals depend. The challenge of addressing these threats to dugong necessitates the strategic approach which incorporates poverty into conservation planning.
The commercial gillnet fishing is another major threat to dugong(Hanafy, Gheny, Rouphael, Salam & Fouda, 2006). They are air-breathing mammals, thus threatened by pollution, poor water quality, and the collision with the boats. Again the dugong is threatened by climate change(Hanafy, Gheny, Rouphael, Salam & Fouda, 2006). This is because they are dependent on the shallow coastal waters and are vulnerable to the rising seas sand extremes weather events such as the cyclones and flooding that destroy seagrass meadows. Again the dugong is shy mammals, elusive mammals that depend on the healthy seagrass meadows for diet. Another threat them dugong faces is the predation from other sea animals such as the carnivores.
Threat ranking
The direct threats
The importance of conservation challenges facing this species is increasing(Hanafy, Gheny, Rouphael, Salam & Fouda, 2006). The conservationist has recognized the ways to solve these problems .the direct threats that’s faces these animals include habitat loss, the destruction of the habitat, and dome of the incidental capture of the human activities that occur during the fishing operations. This brings the slight to elimination and reduction of the adult survivorship that result in habitat loss, diseases. The hunting nets also can cause some chronic diseases, and this would lead to a decline in the population of the dugong (Hanafy, Gheny, Rouphael, Salam & Fouda, 2006). There should need for conservation to reduce these measures that threaten the habitats of the dugong among the sea dwellers. Also, improve on the livelihood of the communities that live in the coastal and along with the marine.
Indirect threats
The dugong species are endangered with most threats .some of them are indirect threats are the climatic change. This affects them by threatening their habitats like the seagrass(Hanafy, Gheny, Rouphael, Salam & Fouda, 2006). This makes them starve and thus have to move away to search for food and a cool place with freshwaters. Some of the climatic changes that the dugong faces are the cyclones and the flooding. Predation in the sea animals such as the crocodiles and whales is another threat that the dugong faces(Hanafy, Gheny, Rouphael, Salam & Fouda, 2006). To conserve this, there is a need to preserve the environment for the and enhance tree planting their ecosystem
Public awareness and lobbying
The significance of dugong and seagrasses is poorly understood at local, national, and global levels(Karunarathna, Navaratne, Perera & Samarawickrama, 2011). This is from the perspective of governance and communal aspects. There should be better information that should be delivered in beneficial ways to the target communities in the change of behavior that is crucial to effective conservation(Karunarathna, Navaratne, Perera & Samarawickrama, 2011). The awareness of the dugong varies in countries, people to what they describe the dugong with shark-like characters. In other cultural beliefs in the healing power of dugong has led to the loss of the animal. Lack of information on the seagrass ecosystem and their importance for sustaining the livelihood of coastal communities and the role they play to control the climate(Karunarathna, Navaratne, Perera & Samarawickrama, 2011).This should thus make education that would maintain the marine water quality and its diversity of the ecosystem
The seagrass conservation is awareness among the dugong habitats(Karunarathna, Navaratne, Perera & Samarawickrama, 2011). These make the project of stakeholders and create an enabling environment for the promotion and conservation through educational programs. The project awareness raises the work on mobilizing the support on the marine works locally and nationally(Karunarathna, Navaratne, Perera & Samarawickrama, 2011). The knowledge of dugongs and seagrass will also enter the classroom to reach educators and other people
Sustainable funding
The dugong and seagrass conservation project focuses on range states of dugong(Karunarathna, Navaratne, Perera & Samarawickrama, 2011). It seeks to work with the local communities to help them understand the benefits of conserving dugong and their habitat. The project combines an innovative way policy, education conservation, and the alternative to livelihood. For example, the use of drones for dugong and seagrass surveys(Karunarathna, Navaratne, Perera & Samarawickrama, 2011). This team purchases drones to fly and with well-equipped cameras .this is to help monitor the better gauge and the conservation efforts at a reduced cost. This raises the education of the locals on the importance of the seagrass and the fisheries for production and ecotourism(Karunarathna, Navaratne, Perera & Samarawickrama, 2011). This would help enhance the tourism potential and increase the income and economic well being of the local population. The conservation of the seagrass would thus benefit the dugong and other species. This would help increase to their community as the dugong can feed up to 45 kilos in a day
Monitoring plan
The focus on dugong and seagrass conservation help to participate in the training methods to survey and monitor the dugong and seagrass(“Plan to preserve Long Island Bay,” 2002). This will adequately protect the animal and prohibit international trade in the specimen of the animal. The efforts to increase the effectiveness of dugong and seagrass conservation would support the global environment facility. On the training, topics are such as the database and geographical information systems, the dugong stranding response, the aerial survey, the seagrass community, and ecosystem services, and the participative monitoring (“Plan to preserve Long Island Bay,” 2002). Through this, the participants of the training are expected to become more capable of conducting the aerial and bioacoustics survey and perform the data analysis and management.
Priorities for implementing the conservation strategy.
The first strategies of implementing a priority on the actions are necessary for achieving effective conservation and management of dugong and seagrass habitat (Hill-Lewenilovo, Vuiyasawa & Piovano, 2019). This complements wildlife protection, ensuring the sustainability of the resources. This also highlights the government collaboration and commitment to continuously collaborate with other international partners and communities in providing the dugong and healthy seagrass meadows that would be available for future generations(Hill-Lewenilovo, Vuiyasawa & Piovano, 2019). The habitat also compliments the fisheries to management .based on the lessons of the management activities, the management options are suggested for the best and suitable management
References
Hanafy, M., Gheny, M., Rouphael, A., Salam, A., & Fouda, M. (2006). The Dugong, Dugong dugon, in Egyptian waters: distribution, relative abundance, and threats. Zoology In The Middle East, 39(1), 17-24. doi: 10.1080/09397140.2006.10638178
Hill-Lewenilovo, R., Vuiyasawa, R., & Piovano, S. (2019). First record of a dugong (Dugong dugon Müller, 1776) in Fiji. Pacific Conservation Biology, 25(3), 324. doi: 10.1071/pc18059
Hill-Lewenilovo, R., Vuiyasawa, R., & Piovano, S. (2019). First record of a dugong (Dugong dugon Müller, 1776) in Fiji. Pacific Conservation Biology, 25(3), 324. doi: 10.1071/pc18059
Jamaluddin, A., Sjahfirdi, L., & Widiarti, R. (2015). DUGONG (Dugong dugon) FEEDING BEHAVIOUR IN SEA WORLD INDONESIA, TAMAN IMPIAN JAYA ANCOL, JAKARTA. One Life Sciences, 2(1), 504. doi: 10.18502/kls.v2i1.204
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Karunarathna, D., Navaratne, M., Perera, W., & Samarawickrama, V. (2011). Conservation status of the globally Vulnerable Dugong Dugong dugon (Müller, 1776) (Sirenia: Dugongidae) in the coastal waters of Kalpitiya area in Sri Lanka. Journal Of Threatened Taxa, 3(1), 1485-1489. doi: 10.11609/jott.o2235.1485-9
Mobjörk, M., & Linnér, B. (2006). Sustainable funding? How funding agencies frame science for sustainable development. Environmental Science & Policy, 9(1), 67-77. doi: 10.1016/j.envsci.2005.10.002
Plan to preserve Long Island Bay. (2002). Marine Pollution Bulletin, 44(2), 95. doi: 10.1016/s0025-326x(02)00045-0