Wawan Kiswara & Udhi E. HernawanResearch Centre for Oceanogaphy - LIPI

Jl. Pasir Putih 1 No. 1 Jakarta UtaraE-mail: wkiswara@gmail.com

Population of dugong in Indonesia: 10.000 before 1990 (Compost, 1980) 1.000 after 1990 (de Iongh, 1993) now ? IUCN: Vulnerable

Decreasing population of dugong species biology and external threats.

Species biologyReproduction rate very low (5 %/year).The females do not bear their first calf until they are

at least 10 and up to 17 years old. Gestation lasts about 13-15 months. The calf suckles for 14-18 months.Seagrass dependent

External threats:Ilegal huntingAccidental catchBoat strikesPollutionHabitat lost & degradationEutrophication

Conservation initiatives in Indonesia ?1. Habitat protection2. Education : public awareness (National-, local- and

community levels)3. Ecotourism4. Research and monitoring

Swimming with dugong Diving with dugong

Ecotourism (?)

Dugong as a tourist attraction: dugong watching

Effect of these activities on the animals is unknown (need to be investigated)

Dugong as meat vs as tourist attraction

As a meat Rp. 6.000.000.- for one family, one week.As a tourist attraction more than Rp. 6.000.000.-

for many families and last longer.

To realize the idea dugong as a marine tourist attraction is not easy!

Not easy to find the existence of seagrass and dugongThe presence of seagrasses and dugong by interviewing local

people/fishermen

Waai, Ambon Nemberela, Rote

The presence of seagrasses and dugong by interviewing local people/fishermen

Prof. H. Marsh (Dugong expert) her presentation in Srilanka, October 2015.

How many dugongs are there?•Ask the fishers?•Vessel surveys?•Aerial surveys?•Mark-recapture studies?

How are your dugongs doing?•Ask the fishers?•Conduct vessel/aerial surveys over time?•Calf counts?•Genetic studies?•Health assessments?

Where are the dugong hotspots?•Ask the fishers?•Conduct vessel/aerial surveys?•Satellite tracking?•Acoustic surveys?

Doing research on dugong is very difficult and very risky, as you can only spot them

from the air (Adulyanukosol, 2007)

Most of the pictures are from Thailand, only 1 picture in Indonesia

• Counting the number• Observe the behavior• Feeding ground• Seagrass area• Home range

Travelling into shallow area for feeding

single

mother-calf group

Family

Feeding : Solitary and group.

: Group

Parental care

Mating behaviors occurred in shallow area

Dr. Kanjana AdulyanukosolPublished in Mar. Biol.(2007)

UNEP/CMS OFFICEAbu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs and their Habitats throughout their Range

Dr. Donna KwanProgramme Officer - Dugongs

UNEP/CMS South East Asia Sub-Regional Meeting on Dugongs and Workshop on Developing Standardised Analysis Protocols for Dugong Questionnaire Survey Project Data for South East Asia Region

26-29 July 2011, Kuala Lawas, Sarawak, Borneo Malaysia

Dangerous dugong male behavior

Aggressive to women

Conclusion GEF-Abu Dhabi dugong project is only as a trigger

to conserve dugong from extinction in Indonesian waters.

Cooperation between the relevant agencies (MMAF, LIPI, WWF, Universities i.e. IPB, UNHAS, UNSRAT, Private sectors, etc) to work together in efforts to create dugong conservation for the public welfare.

Thank you