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WCC 2008 RES 022 - Activity Report

Submitted by Hideki.YOSHIKAWA on Sun, 12/01/2019 - 05:14
General Information
Promotion of Dugong Dugong dugon during the UN 2010 International Year for Biodiversity
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...
IUCN Commissions: 
0B5EC7B3-D2A1-E611-B6EC-005056BA6623
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. This grave situation indicates that Japan, as a whole, us NGOs and government agencies, has failed to protect the northernmost dugong in the world despite IUCN's Recommendations and Resolution. We SDCC 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, in September 2019, the SSC held a small expert workshop (Japanese Ministry of the Environment participated) 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.
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