On the morning of March 1, 2024,
the Department of Science and Technology of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province held a
meeting of the Advisory Council to evaluate and accept the results of
implementing the project "Assessing the current status of the Dugong
population and seagrass in Con Dao, proposing solutions for management and
conservation”. The project is chaired by Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van
Quan. The Institute of Marine Resources and Environment (Vietnam Academy of
Science and Technology) is the host agency. Attending the Council was Mr. Pham
Quang Nhat - Director of the Department of Science and Technology, chairman of
the council.
Dugong is a rare marine mammal, classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN red list in 2023. They has medium in size. Adults are about 4 meters long and weigh 400 kg. As for seagrass, this is the only group of flowering plants that live in marine and brackish water environments. Although there are a relatively small number of species, seagrass plays a very important ecological role. They participate in the nutrient cycle in seas and oceans.
The project was implemented within 28 months and achieved the following results:
+ Regarding the size of the dugong population, the project has determined that in Con Dao waters, there are about 12 individuals that regularly appear and feed on seagrass Regarding the density of dugong individuals, about 392.2 hectares of seagrass for a population of 12 dugong individuals. The highest frequency of seeing dugongs living and feeding in Con Dao is in June and September every year at Con Son Bay, Six Senses beach, and Bay Canh island.
+ Regarding the quantity and composition of seagrass species, the project has identified 08 species of seagrass.
The project has proposed solutions to preserve and sustainably manage dugong populations as well as seagrass. It distributed in the Con Dao area, including: solutions to protect seagrass and dugong habitat; Recreational fishing control solutions; solutions to minimize ship operations; solutions using communication tools; educational solutions, raising community awareness; research and monitoring solutions for dugong and seagrass; policy and legal solutions; solutions to establish a dugong rescue center; Solution for replanting and replanting seagrass species in Con Dao.
With the achieved results, the Council agreed to accept the project. However, it is necessary to edit and complete the topic according to comments from council members
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