Publications

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.

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.

UNEP (2016)

A mid-term review of progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets

United Nations Environment Programme (2001)