Dugongs

Dugong and calf. Photo by Amanda Hodgson

Dugongs live in the shallow waters of at least 37 countries and territories around the world. Throughout their range which runs from east Africa to Vanuatu between about 26° north and south of the Equator, dugongs are threatened by rising pollution from the land, coastal development, boat traffic, entanglement in fishing nets, and hunting and poaching for their meat and trophies.

Dugongs are not in imminent danger of disappearing but it is likely that they will vanish from parts of their range. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has listed dugongs as vulnerable to extinction on a global scale because the numbers of dugongs worldwide appear to have declined by at least 20% over the last 90 years (about three dugong generations).

Dugongs have already disappeared from some places including the waters off Mauritius, western Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Japan's Sakishima Shoto Islands, Hong Kong's Pearl River estuary, several islands in the Philippines and parts of Cambodia and Vietnam.

Although dugongs are found in the waters of many countries, nearly all of them except Australia are developing nations with limited capacity to contain impacts on dugongs within sustainable limits. Therefore, dugong conservation world-wide is largely dependent on Australian initiatives.

Australia is home to most of the world's dugongs which live in northern waters between Shark Bay in Western Australia and Moreton Bay in Queensland. One of the reasons for nominating the Great Barrier Reef as a World Heritage Area in 1981 was its importance as a feeding ground for large populations of dugongs.

Dugongs are not considered under threat in most parts of Australia, however the number of dugongs has declined along the urban coast of Queensland. To protect dugongs, especially in the Great Barrier Reef region, Dugong Protection Area and Marine National Parks have been established along the east coast of Queensland. Australia has a critical role in protecting these unique marine mammals.

Download the CRC Reef brochure about Dugongs in the Great Barrier Reef. Current State of Knowledge. April 2002. (Adobe Acrobat File - 563k).

Dugongs around in the world

CRC Reef researchers based at James Cook University have written a report that will help countries around the world develop plans to protect dugongs. The report is an overview of the status and management of dugongs in 37 countries and territories around the world.

Within their range, dugongs are threatened by rising pollution from the land, coastal development, boat traffic, entanglement in fishing nets, and hunting for their meat and trophies.

Dugongs appear to have disappeared in some places such as the waters off Mauritius, western Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Japan's Sakishima Shoto Islands, Hong Kong's Pearl River estuary, several islands in the Philippines and parts of Cambodia and Vietnam.

In Australia, dugongs are not considered to be under serious threat throughout much of their range which extends from Moreton Bay near Brisbane through the tropics to Shark Bay in Western Australia. However, dugong numbers have declined along the urban coast of Queensland. Along the east coast of Queensland, especially in the Great Barrier Reef region, Dugong Protection Areas and marine national parks have been established to protect dugong.

The report was funded by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and CRC Reef. It was written by Helene Marsh, Carole Eros, Helen Penrose and Joanna Hugues and is called 'The Dugong (Dugong dugon): status report and action plans for countries and territories in its range'.

For a pdf of the report go to www.tesag.jcu.edu.au/dugong