Project
Monitoring and Conservation Strategies of Dugong in Northern Mozambique

Period 2016-2017
Department Natural Resources
Areas: Africa
Countries: Mozambique
Partners: CIBRA - University of Pavia, Quirimbas National Park
Status: Ongoing
Financial support: Conservation Leadership Program, Arcadia Fund
Logistics: OIKOS

The dugong, a vulnerable and protected species

Dugong were relatively common in the Quirimbas National Park since few years ago. They were a popular food item and there was a folklore surrounding the capture of these animals. Actually their presence and distribution in QNP is unknown. Probably the current level of disturbance from fishing activity prevent the return of the species in large numbers although the extensive sea grass meadows around the marine area of the Park would still provide a suitable habitat for the species. Projections indicate that the Dugong faces extinction within the next 40 years.

The Monitoring and Conservation Strategies of Dugong in Northern Mozambique project, aims at collecting baseline and scientific evidence and information of the presence and distribution of dugongs in the Park and to reduce the disturbance on marine species by fishermen communities. Interviews to fishermen will provide insights about areas of possible presence, and local environmental studies will provide an habitat suitability map.

Information on the possible presence of these animals are collected through the use of four automatic underwater acoustic recorders designed and built by CIBRA, University of Pavia. Three recorders have been deployed on the seafloor at depths ranging from 5 to 15 meters in the area north of Ibo Isle. A fourth spare recorder has been used to record dolphins visiting the area and it also recorded humpback whales passing off the continental shelf, few km from the deployment site. The three deployed recorders will record continuously, 24/24h, for 36 days. Recorders will be then recovered to download acoustic data and replace batteries. Two more recording sessions are planned for November and next January.  Totally about 9 months of sound recordings will be analyzed with special software developed by CIBRA, Pavia University, to capture the vocalizations of dugongs and other biological sounds (whales, dolphins, etc.).

The project will also involve fishermen communities and park staff, in order to increase local stakeholders knowledge and awareness on marine natural resources value, protection and sustainable use and to reinforce local technical monitoring capacities