A portfolio of projects addressing key threats to dugongs and seagrass through community-led activities in dugong range states.

In June 2021, the Dugong MOU initiated a Call for Proposals for projects implemented in dugong Range States that supported the implementation of the Dugong MOU and its associated Conservation Management Plan (CMP). The projects were intended to address priority actions contained in the CMP and contribute to the implementation of the Dugong MOU Programme of Work, as endorsed by the Third Meeting of Signatories to the Dugong MOU in March 2017.

This Call for Proposals was an open competition advertized on the Dugong & Seagrass Hub, the CMS Dugong MOU website, in their associated social media channels, and circulated via email to a Dugong MOU mailing list. Proposals submitted by applicants were required to meet criteria set out in the Application Guidelines and aim to improve community-led dugong and seagrass conservation activities through one or more of the following priority approaches:

  • Participatory research and primary data collection, including monitoring;
  • Conservation actions, management frameworks and policies;
  • Development of business models in support of coastal communities and marine conservation; and
  • Communication tools and awareness raising.

The Dugong MOU Secretariat received 31 project concept notes. The four highest scoring proposals, representing diverse geographic regions within the dugong’s distribution range, were selected for funding and invited to submit full project proposals.

Indonesia

New Caledonia

Tanzania

Bahrain

Community-Led Conservation Small-Grants

Four projects received up to US$ 25,000 to support the proposed activities in:

BahrainHawar Islands, Southern GovernateARC-WH
IndonesiaSawi, Cempedak, Bawal and Gelam Islands, West KalimantanIAR
New CaledoniaNouméa and Le Mont-Dore, South ProvinceIRD
TanzaniaSouthern Rufiji Delta, Pwani RegionSea Sense

Total Funding Granted: US$ 100,000

(2021 – 2023)

Project Partners

Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARCWH)

Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARCWH)

The Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH) is a Category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO that was established in 2012 as an autonomous and independent legal entity at the service of Arab States Parties to strengthen the implementation of the 1972 World Heritage Convention.

Based in the Kingdom of Bahrain, ARC-WH is a non-profit organization that serves 19 Arab countries towards the promotion and management of cultural and natural sites by providing technical support and reinforcing the implementation of the 1972 World Heritage Convention.

Yayasan Inisiasi Alam Rehabilitasi Indonesia (IAR)

Yayasan IAR Indonesia (YIARI) is a non-profit organization committed to species rescue, rehabilitation and release and community-based conservation. YIARI has a multi-disciplinary team consisting of biologists, veterinarians, social scientists, educators, investigators and media experts. It has worked in Indonesia since 2006, managing conservation projects in lowland and hill forest, peatland, coastal mangrove and seagrass ecosystems, and actively supports the Government of Indonesia in the management of key habitats and biological monitoring. This project is implemented in partnership with WeBe Foundation (Yayasan WeBe Konservasi Ketapang).

French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD)

The French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, IRD) is a government agency legally registered in New Caledonia, where it has been researching the interactions between humans and the environment since 1946.

Sea Sense

Sea Sense is a registered NGO with a ‘grass-roots’ approach to marine conservation. Working closely with coastal communities, they have recruited and trained a network of over 60 Conservation Officers who act as ‘ambassadors for conservation’ in their village and serve as a vital link between Sea Sense and the wider community.