United Arab Emirates (UAE) Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) has called for action to protect the dugong, arguing that their potential extinction would have drastic impact on the future of the biodiversity and environment in the UAE.
The group said the mammals absence would cause a rift in the availability of sea fish, arguing that it could affect millions of people globally.
Dugongs, or sea cows’, are large marine mammals that feed almost exclusively on seagrass. They are found in warm coastal and island waters of over 40 countries in the Indo-Pacific.
Some 3,000 dugongs live in UAE waters, according to the EAD.
According to experts, if the dugong go extinct, it would affect shrimp and other sealife creatures ability to survive, with many of smaller marine life dependent on the sea cow for their survival.
In fact, dugongs actually improve the quality and quantity of seagrass beds through their grazing activities while eating the grass, said Dr Donna Kwan, programme officer for dugongs and officer-in-charge of the Abu Dhabi office of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
But animal advocates across the globe say that the animals should be saved no matter what their impact to people.
We should save and protect endangered species not because it benefits humans, but because we must respect biodiversity and our planet’s living creatures, said UAE-based animal advocate Mohamed Abdelaziz, who told Bikyamasr.com that I think people, when they are told about the intricacies of marine life in this world are understanding and know that protecting animals is important for the health of the planet.
In many ways, Abdelaziz is correct, but experts say pushing the human angle enables a broader ability to save and protect animals.
The dugongs are an indicator species, experts at the EAD said.
By observing the dugongs and turtles we can know the problems in an ecosystem as they indicate everything, said Thabit al-Abdul Salam, director of the Biodiversity Management Sector, and Himansu Das, scientist at the Biodiversity Management Marine Sector.
The Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka is home to the largest remaining dugong population in South Asia, Gulf News reported.
Bikya Masr 2011