Improving policies to secure transboundary protection of dugongs and seagrass.
In conservation management, seagrasses and dugongs are a low priority because of their lack of visibility and poorly recognised ecological and economic role, and this is true at regional, national and local levels. At the regional level, the mechanisms do not yet exist to ensure regional collaboration and joint action for the conservation of migratory dugongs and their seagrass ecosystems and conservation needs are not mainstreamed into wider policy frameworks.
Dugongs are known to travel long distances to find new feeding grounds in response to the loss of their usual habitat. Often this means moving across jurisdictional boundaries. Coordinated management across national boundaries is therefore crucial for the dugong’s long-term survival.
The Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs and their Habitats throughout their Range (Dugong MoU), under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) was adopted by the first Signatories on 31 October 2007. This “CMS Dugong MoU” is designed to facilitate national level and transboundary actions that will lead to the conservation of dugong populations and their seagrass habitats. Eight countries are participating in our Project including Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mozambique, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu. Therefore, the Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project makes a significant contribution to implementing the CMS Dugong MoU in 20% of the dugong global range.
The Project works to identify policy, planning and regulatory gaps that hinder the effective conservation management of dugongs and their seagrass habitats in Project Countries. The Project aims to improve policies by providing country-specific dugong and seagrass safeguards, at the same time strengthening the enforcement of policies, local and national development planning, and institutional capacities. The policy recommendations will be fed with data compiled by the research and incentives projects.
The Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project ensures the national-level uptake of the policy recommendations developed under the national projects through National Facilitating Committees gathering all Partners in each Project country and relevant key government, non-government and research institutions.
Policy Projects
Total Funding $913,015
Strengthening and operationalizing a national policy strategy and action plan for dugong and seagrass conservation (ID1).
ID1 seeks to tackle policy barriers to dugong and seagrass conservation in Indonesia, and specifically those that apply to the enforcement of existing national legislation, namely the lack of a...
National Facilitating Committee for the GEF Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project (LK8).
LK8 aims to facilitate the work carried out by all national partners of the Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project in Sri Lanka. This component will develop capacity among different stakeholders...
National Facilitating Committee for the GEF Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project (MG5).
MG5 aims to build an effective National Facilitating Committee (NFC) to provide country-level oversight of project activities and ensure that dugong and seagrass conservation considerations are integrated within relevant national...
Establishment of a National Facilitating Committee and Technical Working Group for conserving dugongs and their habitat (MY2).
The aim of this project is to review and improve the implementation of the National Plan of Action for Conservation and Management of Dugongs (NPOA) in Malaysia, refine key legislation...
National Facilitating Committee for the GEF Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project (MZ6).
MZ6 seeks to build an informed and effective National Facilitating Committee (NFC) to provide country-level oversight of Project activities in order to ensure that dugong and seagrass conservation considerations are...
Strengthening provincial and national capacity for project implementation in the Solomon Islands (SB5).
SB5 will strengthen national and provincial capacities for Project implementation in the Solomon Islands by establishing a National Facilitating Committee (NFC) to support the government in ensuring a coordinated approach...
Mainstreaming dugongs and their seagrass habitats in national coastal zone planning and decision-making (TL3).
TL3 aims to strengthen and operationalise an inter-ministerial mechanism to ensure a coordinated approach to national-level coastal zone planning and decision-making which effectively addresses dugong and seagrass conservation. The project...
Timor-Leste National Facilitating Committee (TL5).
TL5 seeks to create national-level understanding and coordination on dugong and seagrass conservation among relevant government institutions. This will be achieved by working with the other Partners of the Dugong...
Improving policies for dugongs and seagrasses in Vanuatu through research and awareness raising (VU1).
VU1 tackles key barriers to dugong and seagrass conservation in Vanuatu, namely the lack of information on the distribution and status of dugongs and their habitats, and lack of awareness...
National Facilitating Committee for the GEF Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project (VU2).
VU2 will create a national platform that gathers a wide range of stakeholders to coordinate the implementation of national projects, share experiences and work to both remove policy barriers and...
Policy Case Studies
Communities Come Together to Conserve Dugongs and Seagrasses in Madagascar
The conservation of dugong populations and their seagrass habitat depends as much on the engagement and involvement of local communities as on scientific research and legislative measures. Without their support,...
Data-Driven Research Results in Sound Policy in Vanuatu
Policy is one of the four key components of the Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project and a vital element in the conservation process. To enshrine these species’ protection in legislation...
Policy Interviews
Julian Hyde, General Manager Reef Check Malaysia, Speaks about the Importance Co-Managing Marine Protected Areas
Reef Check Malaysia emphasizes the LOCAL in marine protected areas. The Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project took a moment to speak with the Managing Director of Reef Check Malaysia to...