Jackson Lendoya Saiperaki
Dugongs, the only surviving members of the family Dugongidae, are critically endangered in East Africa, with an estimated population of just 250 individuals confined to the Pemba-Zanzibar and Rufiji-Mafia channels. Their survival is threatened by widespread degradation of their primary habitat (seagrass meadows) driven by climate change and increased human activities such as destructive fishing, habitat degradation, and poaching.
Despite legal protection, dugongs continue to be hunted, largely due to limited awareness among coastal communities and other stakeholders. While conservation efforts in the region have largely focused on replanting seagrass in degraded areas, the absence of mapped critical habitats for dugongs highlights a significant data gap that hinders effective protection of the species.
The SaveDugong project seeks to address these challenges by integrating local ecological knowledge to reconstruct the historical abundance and distribution of dugongs along the Tanzanian and Kenyan coasts. This approach will help identify key areas of population decline and local extinctions, thereby informing targeted conservation interventions.
Additionally, the project will raise awareness among fishers, residents, and relevant authorities about the ecological importance of dugongs, recent protection measures, and sustainable practices to mitigate threats such as illegal hunting, bycatch, and habitat loss.
Focused in Mafia Island Marine Park, Tanga Coelacanth Marine Park and areas surrounding these MPAs, the project aims to promote community-driven conservation through advocacy, education, and stakeholder engagement. By bridging scientific research with traditional knowledge and fostering local ownership of conservation efforts, SaveDugong will contribute significantly to the regional Dugong Action Plan and help secure a future for dugongs and their habitats in the Western Indian Ocean.