Dugong conservation campaign launches

The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi will run educational workshops to make the public aware of the several thousand dugong sea mammals that call Abu Dhabi home.

The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi has formed a partnership with global oil giant Total to spread attention to dugongs and their habitats. Courtesy Total
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ABU DHABI // The environment authority has teamed up with oil giant Total to educate the public about the estimated 3,500 dugongs that call Abu Dhabi home.

The dugongs, of which there are 7,000 in the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea, are at risk from human activity. They are considered vulnerable by the World Wildlife Fund, indicating a high risk of extinction in the wild.

"The dugong is not only a charismatic species that has attracted public attention globally, but it is also considered by conservationists as an umbrella species," said Ayesha Al Blooshi, director of marine biodiversity at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, or Ead.

This means habitat control and conservation efforts for dugongs also protect marine life in the same ecosystem.

In the coming months, interactive and educational workshops on conservation will be presented to middle and high school students, the fishing community and boat owners.

They will learn, for example, that the dugong is unique among marine mammals in being herbivorous, which prompts them to migrate from the east African shore all the way to the Pacific Islands.

Razan Al Mubarak, secretary general of Ead, said the conservation programme would enable Abu Dhabi “to provide a safe haven for this migrating species and make the UAE a leader in global dugong conservational efforts”.

The campaign will include public outreach through the Ead’s social-media sites, and entertaining and educational activities for families next month at Mushrif Mall.

Significant efforts have been made to conserve the local dugong population. In 2002, Ead banned drift-net fishing in shallow water to prevent dugongs and turtles from becoming entangled in the nets.

Nationally, two laws were issued in 1999 to protect dugongs from exploitation.

The UAE was one of the first Middle East countries to sign the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s agreement in 2007.

The Dugong Memorandum of Understanding, which falls under the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Convention on Migratory Species, is implemented through the convention secretariat’s office.

The office has been hosted by Ead since 2009.

nalwasmi@thenational.ae