Dugongs are obligate seagrass feeders whose welfare and survival depend entirely on the availability of healthy seagrass meadows, which are declining globally due to coastal development and water quality degradation.
Dugong welfare is inseparable from seagrass habitat health — there is no way to maintain dugong wellbeing while their food ecosystem degrades. Dugongs in areas of seagrass decline are chronically nutritionally stressed, travelling further and expending more energy for less food. The combination of nutritional stress, increased movement exposing them to boat strikes, and reduced reproductive success creates a welfare crisis that is invisible to most people but affects tens of thousands of animals. Reducing agricultural runoff and coastal development impacts on seagrass is the highest-leverage intervention for dugong welfare.