Earlier the first Official Signatory State Meeting of the UNEP/CMS MoU on Dugong Conservation was held in Abu Dhabi from Oct 4-6.
A Palau delegation consisting of Minister Fritz and Mandy Etpison from the Palau Dugong Awareness Campaign attended together with over 90 representatives from 29 different Dugong Range States from around the world, and the Minister signed the MOU for dugong conservation and management.
Fritz offered Palau based on the fact that the country has the most endangered population and has already taken the initiative to start an Awareness Campaign this year.
Palau was selected with agreement from the regional countries for a case study and to be the focus of next year’s project, with a launching scheduled for March, 2011.
During a presentation by world reknown dugong expert Professor Helene Marsh, she stressed that although globally the dugong is listed as “vulnerable to extinction”, two regional populations are in her opinion “critically endangered” and need immediate action, namely Japan and Palau.
Global Dugong populations were divided into regions, and the Pacific Region States are Palau, Australia, Vanuatu, Solomons, PNG, and New Caledonia. At a side-meeting with representatives of these countries, SPREP representative Lui Bell proposed a regional project for 2011, called “The Year of the Pacific Dugong.”
