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WCC 2004 REC 114 - Activity Report

Submitted by Hideki.YOSHIKAWA on Wed, 01/31/2018 - 21:06
General Information
Conservation of Dugong Dugong dugon, Okinawa Woodpecker Sapheopipo noguchii, and Okinawa Rail Gallirallus okinawae in Japan
IUCN Constituent: 
Save the Dugong Campaign Center
IUCN Constituent type: 
IUCN Member
Period covered: 
2019
Geographic scope: 
Country
Country/Territory: 
Japan
In implementing this Resolution your organization has worked/consulted with...
Other non-IUCN related organisations: 
Dugong Network Okinawa (NGO)
Implementation
Indicate and briefly describe any actions that have been carried out to implement this Resolution: 
ActionDescriptionStatus
Policy influencing/advocacyIn 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. 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 IUCN SSC SSG for taking these concrete actions in a timely manner.
Identify and briefly describe what future actions are planned for the implementation of this Resolution: 
Future ActionDescription
Policy influencing/advocacyGiven 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.
Scientific/technical activitiesThe Plan needs to be implemented to the extent it is possible and as soon as possible.
Additional Information
External link(s): 
Endangered Dugong found dead in Okinawa, cause unknown