Dugongs

·         In August 2008 India signed MoU for conservation and management of Dugongs and their habitats under the Conservation of Migratory Species – dugongs is yet another specie on the brink of extinction

·         Dugong or sea cow is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

·         Animals listed as VU are the ones facing high risk of extinction in the wild.

Mission IAS’2009

·         The IUCN lists the dugong as a species vulnerable to extinction, while the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species limits or bans trade of derived products based on the population involved.

·         The agreement is designed to facilitate national level and trans-boundary actions to conserve dugong populations and their habitats in the Indian Ocean and South East Asia.

·         Dugong has been hunted for thousands of years, often for its meat and oil. Their distribution is reducing and many populations are close to extinction. The causes of population decline include hunting, habitat degradation and fishing-related fatalities.

·         Dugong is a large marine mammal, which, together with manatees is one of the four living species of the order Sirenia.

·         It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae and its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow, was hunted to extinction in the 18th century

·         It is also the only sirenian in its range that spans the waters of at least 37 countries throughout the Indo-Pacific. Majority of dugongs, however, live in northern waters of Australia between Shark Bay and Moreton Bay.

·         Dugong is the only strictly-marine herbivorous mammal, as all species of manatee utilise fresh water to some degree.