EAD project to save endangered mammal, the dugong

Abu Dhabi: The UAE is running a series of programmes to protect dugongs from extinction, implemented by the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Total United Arab Emirates (Total UAE).

Some 40 per cent of the world’s dugongs live in Abu Dhabi seas. Dugongs are large marine mammals, many populations are close to extinction. They have been hunted for thousands of years for meat and oil.

The EAD programme, sponsored by Total since 1999, focuses on biological studies of the mammal, an analysis of their habitats and their geographical distribution in UAE territorial waters.

According to a classification by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), dugongs are currently categorised under the list of endangered animals.

Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, managing director of Emirates Wildlife Society, pointed out that since 1999 the EAD has carried out many studies on dugongs in the UAE, which have contributed to the identification of dugongs and their locations.

Marine protected areas have been identified, regional cooperation among countries organised and a Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) put in place to protect dugongs at a regional level.

Head of Total UAE Jean Luc Guizot, said: “The partnership between the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi and Total emphasises the commitment of the Government of Abu Dhabi to protect the environment and wildlife.”

Thabit Zahran Abdul Salam, Director of the Biodiversity Management Marine Sector at the EAD, said: ”Dugongs face various challenges in their areas of deployment.”

Dugongs, in comparison with other mammals, are the only ones which feed on herbs and plants. Human activity in these areas affects their staple food — seaweed.

— Sarah Dabbar is an intern at Gulf News.