Dugongs are gentle marine herbivores entirely dependent on seagrass meadows, making seagrass conservation inseparable from dugong welfare and survival.
Dugong welfare is tightly coupled to the health of seagrass ecosystems. When seagrass meadows decline, dugongs must travel farther to find food, increasing energy expenditure and exposure to boat traffic in dangerous coastal zones. Boat strike injuries cause severe suffering — propeller lacerations and blunt force trauma are often not immediately fatal, leaving animals to die slowly. Entanglement in fishing nets causes drowning for these obligate air-breathers. Conservation strategies that address water quality runoff from agriculture, establish no-take zones around seagrass beds, and enforce boat speed limits in dugong habitats simultaneously protect both welfare and population viability.