Wild Dugong Seagrass Habitat Loss

Dugongs are completely dependent on seagrass meadows for food, making habitat loss from pollution and development a direct welfare threat to these gentle marine mammals.

Key Facts

Dugongs are the only fully herbivorous marine mammal, consuming up to 40 kg of seagrass daily
Global seagrass meadows have declined by over 30% since 1880, with decline accelerating
Dugongs have extremely low reproductive rates, producing one calf every 3-7 years
Bycatch in shark nets and gill nets is a significant mortality cause in Australian waters
Australia holds the world's largest dugong population, primarily in Shark Bay and the Torres Strait

Welfare Considerations

Dugongs dependent on degraded seagrass habitats face chronic nutritional stress as they must travel further to find adequate forage, expending more energy than they can easily replace. Pregnant and nursing females are particularly vulnerable to nutritional stress, which reduces calf survival. Dugongs entangled in fishing gear experience drowning and panic as air-breathing mammals unable to surface. The slow reproductive rate means population impacts from individual welfare harms take decades to manifest, making prevention far more important than population response.

What You Can Do

Support seagrass restoration projects in dugong range countries
Advocate for removal of shark nets in favor of alternatives like drum lines in dugong habitat
Reduce coastal water pollution that causes seagrass die-offs through nutrient runoff
Support the WWF dugong conservation programs in the Indo-Pacific
Choose sustainably sourced seafood from operations using dugong-safe gear types