Fishing and ship strikes are also among the reasons dugong activity has declined, said Professor Samuel Turvey of ZSL’s Institute of Zoology, who described the findings as a “wake-up call” to prioritize conservation efforts. Since 1988, the dugong has been classified by the Chinese State Council as a grade 1 national protected animal, which gives it the highest level of protection. However, there are no records of dugong presence in China since 2008. “Our new study shows strong evidence for the regional loss of another charismatic aquatic mammal in China – unfortunately, once again due to unsustainable human activity,” said Turvey, one of the authors of the research published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. Dugongs are particularly dependent on seagrass, a specific marine habitat that is rapidly being degraded by human impacts from coastal development to water pollution. Turvey said the seagrass beds were also vulnerable to a process called “eutrophication” – where algal blooms form due to human-caused increases in nutrients in the water, such as from sewage. This “reduces the ability of light to penetrate through seawater and thus prevents seagrass photosynthesis,” Turvey said. Although seagrass restoration and recovery efforts are considered a key conservation priority in China, the recovery process can be long and it may already be too late for the resident dugong populations. Dr Heidi Ma, a postdoctoral researcher at ZSL’s Institute of Zoology and also an author of the study, said the researchers conducted interviews in four southern maritime provinces along the South China Sea coastal region to gather local knowledge about dugong sightings and their regional situation. Using interview surveys from local residents “demonstrates the utility of ecological knowledge in understanding the status of species, but it also helps us engage with local communities and explore potential drivers of wildlife decline and possible mitigation solutions,” he said. Ma. The researchers also examined historical data covering past dugong distribution and activity in China. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The study’s authors said they would “welcome any possible future evidence” that dugongs may still persist in China – however, their research shows no recent evidence of dugong survival in their known homes in mainland Chinese waters. Outside of China, dugong populations can be found in tropical and subtropical coastal waters from Vanuatu to the southwestern islands of Japan. They are globally threatened and listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The new research is “a sobering reminder that extinctions can occur before effective conservation actions are developed,” Turvey said.
