Dugong declared functionally extinct in China in 'wake-up call' for conservation efforts

Abu Dhabi has an estimated 3,000 of the marine mammals, the second-highest population in the world

Dugongs and their environment need protection. Photo: Azraq

A dugong after it was found dead on a beach at Koh Lanta island, in Krabi province, southern Thailand. The female animal was about three metres long and weighed 300 kilograms. EPA

New research by the Zoological Society of London and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has led researchers to declare that one of the ocean's most gentle giants, the dugong, is now functionally extinct in China. PA

Marium, a baby dugong whose fight for recovery at Phuket Marine Biological Centre in Thailand won hearts and cast a spotlight on ocean conservation, died from an infection aggravated by bits of plastic lining her stomach. AFP

Dugong skull and mandibles. Victor Besa / The National

Dugong feed primarily on seagrass, which restricts their habitat to those places where seagrass meadows are found. PA

Thai Navy rescuers inspect a female dugong found dead on the beach at Koh Lanta island, southern Thailand. EPA

The dugong has been hunted for thousands of years and its population is fragmented and threatened as a result. PA

A dead dugong caught in a fisherman's net near Al Rideem, west of Abu Dhabi. Photo: Abu Dhabi Marine Conservation Group

The UAE environment agency's latest report revealed that 17 dugongs died last year, despite being protected under UAE law since 1999. AP

A rare dugong rescued by an Adnoc team after becoming entangled in an illegal fishing net. Photo: Adnoc

Residents of the UAE want the laws to protect marine species such as the dugong to be strictly enforced. Photo: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi has the second-largest dugong population in the world. Photo: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

About 2,500 dugongs live off the coast of Abu Dhabi. AFP

About 80 dugong have been killed by illegal fishing practices in Abu Dhabi over the past four years. Photo: Environment Agency Abu Dhabi

Australia has the world's largest dugong population, but the mammals' low rate of reproduction means the species is vulnerable to extinction. PA

The dugong has been declared extinct in China in what has been described as a "wake-up call" for international efforts to safeguard the gentle marine mammal.

Research by the Zoological Society of London and the Chinese Academy of Sciences said the impact of fishing, ship strikes and habitat loss fuelled by human activity had prompted a decline in numbers, which had been dwindling since the 1970s.

The creature, found in more than 30 countries, including the UAE, is affectionately known as the 'sea cow' due to its habit of grazing on ocean seagrass.

It is typically found in coastal waters and is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The study found there were no records of the dugong's presence in China since 2008.

“Our new study shows strong evidence of the regional loss of another charismatic aquatic mammal species in China – sadly, once again driven by unsustainable human activity,” said Professor Samuel Turvey of ZSL's Institute of Zoology, one of the authors of the report, published in the Royal Society Open Science journal.

"Their absence will not only have a knock-on effect on ecosystem function, but also serves as a wake-up call - a sobering reminder that extinctions can occur before effective conservation actions are developed."

Authors of the study said they would welcome any evidence that dugongs were still in China, however their research shows no recent evidence of dugong survival across their known homes in mainland Chinese waters.

Dugongs are threatened by sea grass habitat loss and degradation, often caused by coastal development or water pollution.

If starved of enough sea grass to eat, the dugong will not breed normally.

They are also at risk of being entangled in fishing nets.

UAE works to protect beloved mammal

Abu Dhabi has an estimated 3,000 dugongs, the second-highest population in the world after Australia. Most are found in the waters of Marawah Biosphere Marine Reserve, about 160 kilometres west of the capital.

A ban on fishing nets introduced in the UAE in 2019 halved the dugong mortality rate, a 2020 study by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi revealed.

The agency found 10 dugongs died in the capital during the 2019-2020 winter season, compared with 23 in the same period last year.

It attributed the sharp drop in deaths to a December 2018 ban on surface fishing nets in the emirate.

The mammals cannot breathe underwater so must surface for air every few minutes. Consequently, they die quickly if they become entangled in nets, which are easily lost at sea.

Prior to the regulation, the dugong death rate rose annually and last season was the highest on record. Most were caused by drowning after they became trapped in nets.

“In 2018, the number of the deaths crossed a red line, so we said, ‘it stops here’,” said Ahmed Al Hashmi, acting executive director of terrestrial and marine biodiversity for the agency.

In February 2020, the Secretariat of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and Environment Agency Abu Dhabi extended their decade long partnership for the conservation of species like the dugong, marine turtles and many migratory birds in the region.

Dugongs have been protected under UAE law since 1999.