World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines helps save Palawan’s Dugongs
Dugongs were once frequently encountered in Palawan waters – local people bear witness to this fact. However, their population is now declining and fishermen are now reporting sightings are becoming less regular. The World Conservation Union-IUCN has listed dugongs as vulnerable to extinction on a global scale because in the last 90 years – roughly three dugong generations – their worldwide population appears to have declined by at least 20 per cent. According to Maria Felisa G. Digdigan, Marine Mammal Specialist and former staff member of the World Wide Fund for Nature Dugong Research and Conservation Project (WWF-DRCP) in Roxas, "in just 15 years there may be no more dugongs in Palawan".
Dugongs are docile marine mammals. They have flippers and tails like dolphins but no dorsal fin. When fully grown, they are two to three meters long and can weigh up to 400 kilograms. Their lifespan is long – 70 years or more – and they feed mainly on seagrasses, so their natural habitats are the seagrass beds which are found alongside the coastline. According to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Palawan is the dugong stronghold of the Philippines.
One way of searching for the presence of dugongs is by aerial survey. These were first carried out in Northern Palawan during the 1980s. The most recent such survey was done in 1998, when a team from the Department for the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the WWF and the Toba Aquarium of Japan spent 15 days spotting dugongs from an aeroplane. They used a Global Positioning System (GPS) to record the exact location of each individual that they found. The researchers then scuba-dived these sights to look at the composition of the seagrass beds and examine the marks left by dugong grazing.
The 1998 aerial survey showed that the area with the most dugongs in Northern Palawan was Green Island Bay, Roxas. An offshoot of this was the establishment of the WWF-DRCP in Roxas. Since 1998 a team of staff and volunteers has been working hard to protect the dugongs of Green Island Bay through both scientific research and community development activities such as Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Campaigns. According to Sheila Albasin, WWF-DRCP Research Officer, the main challenges to dugong conservation in Green Island Bay stem from lack of knowledge – "many people simply do not realize the importance of preserving the dugong and its habitat".
According to Albasin, dugongs are exposed to many threats in Green Island Bay and that most of these come from the increasing numbers of people who live on the coastline and encroach upon the dugongs’ habitat and feeding grounds. Deforestation on the mainland results in soil and debris being washed into the sea which makes the water turbid so that less light penetrates affecting seagrass growth. The seagrass beds also suffer from pollution by coastal communities which lack an effective waste management system. When sewage is released into the sea, it can cause certain types of algae to bloom and compete with the seagrasses for light. This has been observed in the beds around both Green Island and Johnson Island.
Destruction of the seagrass beds is a serious problem not only for dugongs. These areas are important feeding grounds and nurseries for fish. According to WWF-DRCP Project Manager, Victor Reyes "it’s not just about saving the dugongs. It’s about ensuring food security for man as well. We depend on the seagrass habitat for our food. If we destroy it and harm the dugongs, we put ourselves in peril as well".
Although it is illegal - Wildlife Act (RA 9147) states that you can be imprisoned for two to four years and/or fined up to PHP 300,000 for killing a dugong - dugongs are still hunted for their meat. Interviews show that people know that catching dugongs is prohibited but they will still do so when looking for a cheap source of protein. Support for the law is sometimes found to be lacking on a local level - on January 14, 2004 the WWF-DRCP received a report of children peddling dugong meat on Green Island. However, on investigating the report they found that no local residents were willing to testify against the man responsible for slaughtering the animal.
Dugongs are also at risk from fishing as they frequently get caught in fish corrals (locally known as baklad) from which they rarely escape. One local baklad-owner, Nicholas Magbanua, has helped to rescue as many as 33 dugongs from his baklad in the past seven years alone.
According to Albasin, the best way to safeguard the future of Palawan’s dugongs is to start protecting the seagrass meadows which are their habitat. This is why she is currently preparing a proposal for the local government recommending that certain areas of Green Island Bay become dugong protected areas. The WWF-DRCP team conducted extensive research in order to identify areas important to dugongs. They surveyed the seagrass beds to analyze the different species which are present and to search for marks left by grazing. The team also interviewed local fishermen to find out where dugong sightings are most regular. They then cross-referenced the answers with a map showing the different species of seagrass in the bay. In doing this they were able to identify the dugongs’ preferred feeding areas. Albasin maintains that "if you ensure the protection of the seagrass areas then you safeguard all forms of life which depend on these plants for their habitat and source of food – fish, shells and, of course, dugongs. But when it comes down to it, it’s up to the local people and the local government of Roxas to make sure that conservation laws are supported and enforced".
This article was originally published in Bandillo ng Palawan, a local environment and development newspaper.
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