The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) highlights dugong conservation efforts in the Pacific in a new publication, titled "Lady of the Sea: Dugongs: Respect and Protect." The booklet marks the conclusion of the Pacific Year of the Dugong (PYOD) (2011), an initiative by SPREP in partnership with the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
2 February 2012: Profiles of dugongs from each range State in the Pacific are the subject of a booklet recently published by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). Titled “Lady of the Sea: Dugongs: Respect and Protect,” the publication also gives an overview of dugongs and conservation measures in place to conserve them.
The booklet marks the conclusion of the Pacific Year of the Dugong (PYOD) (2011), an initiative by SPREP in partnership with the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) to promote the conservation of dugongs in the Pacific.
Range State profiles of dugongs are included for: Australia, New Caledonia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
The booklet notes that Palau declared its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as a sanctuary for all marine mammals, including dugongs. It also highlighted the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs (Dugong MoU) signed by SPREP range States, as a measure of success for the Year. [Publication: Lady of the Sea: Dugongs: Respect and Protect] [SPREP Press Release]