ABU DHABI: Delegates from 23 countries, along with the world’s leading dugong and seagrass experts, met in Abu Dhabi yesterday to map the future of the benign but endangered animal.
Held under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species, this is the third Meeting of Signatories, MOS3, to the MoU on Conservation and Management of Dugongs and their Habitats (Dugong MoU).
The two-day meeting kicks off a week-long series of events in Abu Dhabi to focus global attention on the need to protect threatened dugongs, conserve their seagrass habitats and empower governments, researchers, local communities and the private sector to work together in partnership to save these iconic animals and the places where they live.
The CMS Dugong MoU is an international agreement signed by 26 Governments.
Opening the meeting, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said, “The CMS Dugong MoU is one of many multilateral environmental agreements the UAE has signed to promote international cooperation in the field of wildlife conservation.
UAE Home to Dugongs
“Our waters are home to more than 3,000 dugongs. As we recognised early on that any possible threat to seagrass beds poses a threat to dugongs, our country’s dugong population is stable.”
“In line with the UAE Vision 2021, we established several marine protected areas. The UAE’s efforts in the field of biodiversity conservation elevated the country’s ranking in the Marine Reserves Sub-Index within the Environmental Performance Index published by Yale University from 33rd place in 2012 to first place in 2014 and 2016.”
Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, EAD Secretary-General, said, “Without seagrass dugongs cannot survive, it is their main source of food. If we conserve seagrass meadows, the dugong’s food source is protected. If we can also encourage fishing communities to adopt practices that don’t destroy seagrass and accidentally catch dugongs, we will have helped secure the future of dugongs, seagrasses and those communities.
“In Abu Dhabi we have recognised this interdependent relationship and wish to share our learning and best practices. To support countries develop a strong scientific basis for achieving this goal we are very excited to be able to launch the Dugong and Seagrass Research Toolkit later in this meeting.”
In his opening speech, Dr. Bradnee Chambers, CMS Executive Secretary, said, “This meeting, hosted by the government of the United Arab Emirates, is bringing together an impressive range of government representatives, experts, conservationists and business leaders with the aim of identifying and agreeing on the best ways to conserve dugongs and seagrasses for future generations.
“As the largest international gathering of its kind, the meeting is also a prime example of the type of international ‘dugong diplomacy’ fostered by the long-standing partnership between CMS and the UAE.”
UAE Host
The Dugong MoU Secretariat has been based in Abu Dhabi since 2009 with generous support from Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, on behalf of the Government of the UAE.
With a range extending over 40 countries from East Africa to Vanuatu in the Pacific, dugongs are central to many coastal communities’ cultural heritage.
Their protection, together with the conservation of seagrass meadows upon which they feed, benefits marine biodiversity and contributes to human well-being.
Seagrass meadows are one of the richest marine habitats on Earth harbouring as many as 600 species of marine life and providing nursery grounds for fisheries that people depend upon.
– By Angel Chan