Submitted by
Hideki.YOSHIKAWA
on Tue, 01/30/2018 - 21:19
General Information
Resolution
44587
IUCN Constituent
Save the Dugong Campaign Center
IUCN Constituent type
IUCN Member organisation
Period covered
Geographic scope
Country
Country/Territory
Japan
Actors involved in implementing this Resolution:
IUCN Commissions
0B5EC7B3-D2A1-E611-B6EC-005056BA6623
Other non-IUCN related organisations
Dugong Network Okinawa (NGO)
II. Implementation
Activities carried out to implement this Resolution
Activity
Policy influencing/advocacy
Description and results/achievements of activities:
In March 2019, a female dugong was found dead on the west coast of Okinawa, Japan. The Ministry of the Environment has concluded that it was stabbed dead by a ray barb, presumably while bottom feeding. This dugong was the last known dugong in the waters of Okinawa, one of the Nansei Islands that occur in Japanese waters between Kyushu and Taiwan. The Save the Dugong Campaign Center, along with other NGOs in Okinawa, contacted international marine mammal experts to discuss the critical situation of the dugong in Okinawa. We then contacted the IUCN SSC Sirenia Special Group to take action.
Status
On-going
Please report on the result /achievement of the actions taken
In response to international concerns about the status of the Japanese Dugong Sub-Population, the IUCN SSC Sirenia Specialist Group took two concrete actions. First, in August 2019, the SSC lodged a listing assessment for this sub-population with IUCN (Brownell et al. 2019), proposing that it be listed as Critically Endangered. Second, the SSC held a small expert workshop in September 2019 to produce a research plan with multiple approaches to determine if any dugongs remain in the waters of Okinawa and the Nansei region in Japan.
We appreciate the SSC for taking these concrete actions in a timely manner.
We appreciate the SSC for taking these concrete actions in a timely manner.
Identify and briefly describe what future actions/activities are planned for the implementation of this Resolution
Future action / activity
Policy influencing/advocacy
Description
Given that the Implementation of the Plan requires the active participation of both the Japanese Ministry of the Environment and the Okinawa Prefectural Government, NGOs like ours need to encourage the governments to do so.
Future action / activity
Scientific/technical activities
Description
The Plan needs to be implemented to the extent it is possible and as soon as possible.
III. Additional Information
External link(s)
Report status
Published
Constituent type
IUCN Member