Publications

Johnson, J.A., Rajpurkar, S., Aggarwal, A. et al. (2026).

This document reports on the population status of dugongs in Tamil Nadu, covering Palk Bay, including the Dugong Conservation Reserve and seagrass habitats in the Gulf of Mannar. The report presents population estimates using non-invasive, state of the art tools, confirming that together, Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar represent India’s largest viable dugong population.

Omar, K. and Shawky, A. (2026), Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems.

Published in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, this study identifies key dugong habitats and evaluates the effectiveness of existing marine protected areas (MPAs) for dugong conservation in Egypt. The researchers modelled habitat suitability under current and future climate scenarios, projecting a loss of around 11.8% of suitable habitat by 2050 and 20% by 2070. Existing MPAs cover around 54.8% of potential suitable habitat, with this proportion expected to decline to 52% by 2070. The study highlights the importance of protecting, monitoring and managing suitable dugong habitats both within and beyond existing MPAs to support effective long-term dugong conservation in the Egyptian Red Sea.

Seal, S., Bayyana, S., Pande, A., et al. (2026), Scientific Reports.

Published in Scientific Reports, this study identifies suitable dugong habitats in Indian waters and examines the environmental factors that influence them. The researchers combined environmental modelling with interviews, citizen-science data and field surveys to identify suitable habitats and assess the risks they face. Seagrass presence was the strongest determinant of habitat suitability, while depth, seabed slope and distance from shore were also important. Dugong habitat suitability varied by region and season, with shifts observed between Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar. Many suitable habitats face moderate to high risks, with less than 15% of high-risk areas falling within existing protected areas. Identifying these critical dugong habitats can help guide conservation planning as India works towards the global 30 × 30 biodiversity target. The study also demonstrates the value of citizen-science for conducting ecological analyses across large geographic areas.

Lucy Coals (2026)

What does a career in seagrass conservation look like? In this presentation, Dr Lucy Coals (Project Seagrass) introduces the importance of seagrass ecosystems and provides an accessible overview of conservation science in practice. Drawing on examples from Project Seagrass and her own experience, she explores approaches including seagrass monitoring and mapping, restoration, protection, community engagement and partnerships.

Originally prepared for university students volunteering with OMCAR, the presentation is particularly relevant for students and early-career professionals interested in marine conservation, offering insights into the diversity of work involved in protecting seagrass ecosystems and ways to get involved.

Amanda Hodgson, Christophe Cleguer (2026)

This document reports on the activities conducted under the IKI Seagrass Ecosystem Services project in support of Output I: Methodological tools for data collection and monitoring of seagrass ecosystem status and threats developed or enhanced and applied to conservation actions in all five project sites.

Digdo, A.A., Astari, E., Arinda, B.R., and Cahyono, T. (2025), BIO Web of Conferences.

Published in BIO Web of Conferences, this study explores the use of drones and artificial intelligence to detect dugongs under limited-resource conditions in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Combining CMS Dugong Questionnaire data, seagrass habitat mapping from the Allen Coral Atlas, drone surveys, and AI-assisted image analysis, the researchers conducted 28 flights covering 12.09 km² and recorded 56 dugong sightings. While manual image analysis proved more reliable, AI detection achieved only 17.6% precision, highlighting the need for larger and more diverse training datasets. The study demonstrates the potential of combining affordable technologies, habitat data, and local ecological knowledge to improve dugong monitoring and guide conservation in areas where resources and population data are limited.

Project Seagrass (2026).

This article highlights new research revealing the critical role of seagrass meadows in supporting the livelihoods and food security of millions of people living in poverty across the Indo-Pacific. The study estimates that at least 18 million people living in poverty fish in seagrass meadows, including around 6.5 million who may depend entirely on these habitats for subsistence and fishing-related income. It also finds that households experiencing extreme poverty are more likely to depend exclusively on seagrass fisheries and that seagrass-dependent households earn around 23% less than other fishers. The findings highlight the importance of integrating seagrass conservation into poverty alleviation, food security, sustainable fisheries and development strategies, particularly in vulnerable coastal communities.

Pathan, S., Christian, G., Sivakumar, K. and Johnson, J.A. (2026), Scientific Reports.

Published in Scientific Reports, this study investigates how dugongs adapt their foraging behaviour to the highly dynamic tidal conditions of the Gulf of Kachchh, India. Using more than 1,500 feeding trails recorded across seagrass habitats between 2018 and 2023, the authors found that tidal accessibility strongly shapes where and how dugongs forage. Dugongs preferentially used areas close to deep-water refuges and tidal creeks, adjusting the distance travelled according to water depth and seagrass availability. With an estimated 73.4% of mapped foraging areas influenced by tides, the study highlights the importance of protecting not only seagrass meadows but also tidal refuges and movement corridors when designing conservation strategies for dugong populations in macro-tidal environments.

Schmitz, O.J., Almealla, R., and Nuwat for Environmental Research & Education (2026), Frontiers in Marine Science.

Published in Frontiers in Marine Science, this study investigates how dugongs can enhance the carbon storage potential of seagrass ecosystems. Using a carbon–nutrient cycling model applied to seagrass habitats in Bahrain, the authors found that dugong grazing and nutrient recycling can significantly increase seagrass productivity, ecosystem carbon balance, and sediment carbon storage. Results suggest that the presence of dugongs may more than double carbon capture and storage compared to areas without dugongs.

This technical report presents standardized methods and findings from dugong and marine megafauna surveys conducted under the IKI-funded Conservation of Biodiversity, Seagrass Ecosystems and Their Services project. It outlines practical, cost-effective approaches for monitoring dugongs and other marine megafauna using drone-based aerial imagery and standardized image analysis, enabling surveys to be undertaken by local practitioners. The report supports long-term monitoring of dugong populations as indicators of seagrass ecosystem health and provides guidance to strengthen evidence-based conservation and management of seagrass habitats and the ecosystem services they provide.

Macreadie, P.I. et al. (2026), Nature Ecology & Evolution.

Published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, this paper identifies the most pressing research and implementation priorities for advancing blue carbon science over the next decade. Drawing on the expertise of 28 international specialists, the authors outline ten priority questions focused on improving the conservation, restoration, measurement, governance and financing of blue carbon ecosystems, including seagrasses, mangroves and tidal marshes. Key themes include supporting coastal livelihoods, integrating traditional ecological knowledge, developing cost-effective restoration methods, improving greenhouse gas accounting, and harnessing emerging technologies such as remote sensing and machine learning.

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) contracted James Cook University to prepare a new edition of the 2002 publication: ‘Dugong: status report and action plans for countries and territories’.

The new edition, which is titled ‘A global assessment of dugong status and conservation needs’, comprises eleven chapters, each written by the listed co-authors. The report has been edited by Helene Marsh, Philippa Loates and Luisa Schramm and reviewed by Abdelmenam Mohamed, Lauren Lopes, Yasmeen Tel Wala and Harris Wei-Khang.

Iyer, S., Pande, A., Ghanekar, C., Kuppusamy, S., and Johnson, J.A. (2025), Marine Pollution Bulletin.

Published in Marine Pollution Bulletin, this study provides the first comprehensive assessment of toxic metal and metalloid contamination in dugongs from India. Analysing tissues from 46 dugongs stranded between 2018 and 2023 in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar region, the authors measured concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury and lead across multiple organs. The research documents several first global records of these contaminants in dugong blubber, heart, lung and skin tissues, while also revealing differences in metal accumulation linked to tissue type, sex and maturity. Notably, elevated mercury levels in fetal tissues indicate the transfer of contaminants from mother to calf during gestation.

Cleguer, C. et al. (2024), Pacific Conservation Biology 30, PC23036

Burt, J. A. (2024)

A comprehensive and up-to-date review of the nature and environment of the Emirates. Includes contributions from over 20 leading experts on UAE ecosystems and biota.

Cossa, D. et al. (2023), Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol. 716: 123–136

Khamis, A. et al. (2023), Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 1–14

Jones, B. et al. (2022), Ecology & Society, 2(10)

Published in Ecology & Society, this paper used tropical seagrass meadows in the Indo-Pacific as a model social-ecological system to investigate how sustainable development initiatives can result in unintended consequences with both positive and negative outcomes for the environment and society. The researchers analysed initiatives and their effects to show that sustainable development initiatives can produce unintended effects with major consequences that can undermine the initiative’s objectives. The paper emphasises the need for an a priori process that considers effects when planning interventions.

Unsworth, R. et al. (2022), Science, Vol 377, Issue 6606 pp. 609-613

Mingli, L. et al. (2022), Royal Society of Open Science, 9: 211994

Malakar, B. et al. (2022), Aquatic Mammals,48(1): 21-24

Macreadie, P. et al. (2022), One Earth, Volume 5, Issue 5: 485-492

Jones, B. et al. (2022), Ocean & Coastal Management, Volume 225 (106247)

Duarte de Paula Costa, M. et al. (2022), Wetlands 42, 109

Derville, S. et al. (2022), Scientific Reports, 12(552)

Dencer-Brown, A.M. et. al, (2022) Ambio, 51:1978–1993

Andréfouët, S. et al., (2021), Marine Pollution Bulletin, 173

Cleguer, C., Kelly, N., Tyne, J., Wieser, M., Peel, D., and Hodgson, A. (2021), Frontiers in Marine Science.

Published in Frontiers in Marine Science, this study presents a novel survey method utilizing small, affordable unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs) to monitor wildlife, specifically applied to dugong populations. To overcome the technical limitations of small UAVs—such as short battery life and aviation regulations—the authors developed a grid-based sampling approach using two multirotor drones flying simultaneously from a vessel.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Department of Agriculture, and Department of the Interior and Local Government (2001). Philippine Coastal Management Guidebook No. 5:  Coastal Resource Management Project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Cebu City, Philippines, 106 p.

Tol, S. J. et al. (2021), Biotropica, 53, 1535–1545

Stankovic, M. et al. (2021), Science of the Total Environment. 156858.

Shilland, R. et al. (2021), Marine Policy, 129 (30)

McKenzie, L. et al. (2021), Environment Research Letters. 15 074041

McKenzie, L. et al. (2021), Marine Pollution Bulletin, 167

Dunic, J.C. et al. (2021), Global Change Biology

Annual Progress Report

Wildlife Institute of India, (Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change), Dehradun.

Bevitt, K. (2020), WorldFish

United Nations Environment Programme (2020). UNEP, Nairobi

Verutes, G.M. et al. (2020), PLoS ONE 15(8)

Hines, E. et al. (2020), Endangered Species Research 42:37-57

Cleguer et al. (2020), Endangered Species Research, 43, 167–181.

Rahman, M.A.A. et al. (2019), Journal of Politics and Law; Vol. 12, No. 4; 2019

Plön, S. et al. (2019), PLoS ONE 14(9): e0219350

Vanuatu Environmental Science Society (2019)

Bujang J.S. et al. (2018), in Finlayson C., Milton G., Prentice R., Davidson N. (eds) The Wetland Book. Springer, Dordrecht.

Wabnitz, C.C. et al. (2018), PloS one, 13(5).

Nordlund, L.M. et al. (2018), Marine Pollution Bulletin, 134: 145-151

Nordlund, L.M. et al. (2018), Fish Fish, 19: 399-412

Fortes, M., et al. (2018), Botanica Marina 61 (3)

Al Dhaheri, S. et al. (2017), Environment Agency Abu-Dhabi