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Protection and conservation for the Sirens of the Sea
Extinct means gone forever! Protecting and conserving dugong populations in Sri Lanka, one animal at a time.
Dilmah Conservation facilitated the study of some of Sri Lanka’s most fragile marine ecosystems and its diverse fauna and flora as part of its marine conservation initiative. This includes work carried out to protect the dugong (Dugong dugon), the only representative of the order of mammals known as Sirenia in Sri Lanka. The 2012 National Red List classifies the dugong as vulnerable.
As part of ongoing work aimed at protecting this threatened species, Sri Lanka became a signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs and Their Habitats throughout their Range (Dugong MOU) in January 2012. The Dugong MOU operates under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
In 2013, as part of ongoing dugong conservation work, Dilmah Conservation initiated a series of activities to protect this species. These include workshops for students in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, group discussions with fishing communities and working with the education sector to disseminate information on the dugong. Print and audio visual aids containing vital information were produced in Tamil -the common local language- whilst a puppet theatre was specially commissioned as a tool to convey the message to a wider audience.
Excessive hunting of dugongs in the past caused this tragedy. We came to know about their importance too late. If people like you had educated us in the past, the situation would have been otherwise.
- Sinnaiyah Mailvaganam,
Fisherman from Mannar, in the North of Sri Lanka
Dilmah Conservation took an entirely novel approach to protecting and conserving the globally threatened dugong. A puppet show depicting why we should protect the gentle dugong, the threats they face and what communities can do to protect them was shown to school children in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province.
The dugong conservation initiative by Dilmah Conservation has opened our eyes to the impending fate of this creature. The puppet show, while being entertaining, gave our children the chance to learn about the dugong. I am sincerely grateful for their efforts. I hope the work of Dilmah Conservation continues to enrich the biodiversity of the Northern regions of Sri Lanka.
- P. E. Croos
Principal of Arippu R. C. Tamil Mahavidyalaya, Chilawathurai
In 2012, Dilmah Conservation hosted eminent British Marine Biologist Dr. Nicholas Pilcher for a series of educational and informative lectures on dugong conservation. Dr. Pitcher discussed the state of the dugong population in local waters with reflections on the past and the possibilities for the future. He also took a closer look at marine conservation strategies in the world.
