New Caledonia - Dugong & Seagrass Hub

Science en Herbe (Budding Science), aims to improve knowledge of seagrass distribution and dugong foraging ecology in the southwest lagoon of New Caledonia.

This is a community-centered project that promotes citizen science and raises awareness about the conservation status of these emblematic animals and the importance of their habitat.

Project Name	Science en Herbe
Implementing Agency	IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
Project Duration	November 2021 - May 2022
Project Location	Nouméa and southwest lagoon, New Caledonia
Total Implementation Cost	USD 70,195
CMS Dugong MOU Contribution	USD 25,000
Project Partners	Aquarium des Lagons Association Opération Cétacés Centre d’Initiation à l’Environnement (CIE) Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems Municipalities of Nouméa and Mont-Dore

Based on a citizen science approach, the project aims to:

Enhance the evidence base for local conservation of seagrass and dugongs in the southwest lagoon of New Caledonia.
Help raise awareness on the value of seagrass ecosystems and the current threats to dugongs, by targeting the younger members of urban communities in Nouméa.

PROJECT RESULTS

Community Awareness:

573 followers joined newly launched project focused social media accounts – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter – and the project was promoted on six national radio shows, via three press releases, YouTube videos and a public launch conference.

Watch the promotional video

Read the news articles here: 1 – 2 – 3

Dugong & seagrass awareness talk in New Caledonia.
© IRD, 2022

Youth Awareness:

Awareness raising activities with 600 youth were organized in 30 public and private schools around Nouméa, targeting various communities from March to May 2022. The sessions aimed to introduce the project and provide basic facts about dugongs and seagrass ecology and conservation in New Caledonia, using age appropriate interactive activities such as workshops, colouring and games.

IRD produced an excellent video showcasing their work with school pupils, and all of the activity sheets developed under this activity are available to download (see below).

These sessions were hugely successful and so popular that schools in the Northern Province and Loyalty Islands Province have requested similar visits from the project team, and four additional participatory science workshops were held at the Maison de la Biodiversité for the wider community.

Dugong & seagrass awareness talk in New Caledonia.
© IRD, 2022

Research:

Six research dives were conducted over a period of three days to document seagrass species and density at known dugong foraging sites.

Samples from the stomach content of four deceased dugongs were analyzed to identify the species of seagrass contributing to each dugong’s diet. Whilst identification was difficult due to leaf degradation caused by digestion, the results showed that each individual stomach contained a different dominant seagrass species.

Seagrass Mapping in New Caledonia
© IRD

Photography Contest & Exhibit:

200 photographs of seagrass meadows, from 15 different locations, were submitted to the participatory photo contest.

16 of the best photographs submitted were selected by a jury for display at an exhibition at the Maison de la Biodiversité (3 May – 30 June 2022).

60 photographs were uploaded to the Seagrass Spotter database, contributing to improved knowledge of seagrass distribution in the New Caledonian lagoons.