1. The GEF Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project in Vanuatu
True to the norms Vanuatu has the least amount of funding in the Dugong and seagrass conservation project of all of the participating countries.
PROTECTING DUGONGS
CONSERVING SEAGRASS
CHANGE FOR COMMUNITIES

2. The Vanuatu project partners
The Vanuatu Environmental Science Society
Implementing partner
The Vanuatu Fisheries Department
Project Partner
The Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation
Project Partner

3. Project Activities
Update the information about the distribution of dugongs in Vanuatu and the threats they face.
Increase awareness of dugongs and seagrass
Nation Plan of Action for dugongs and their seagrass habitat.
Quick summary of activities: More details on the poster

4. Updating distribution and threat information

5. CMS dugong catch /by-catch questionnaire
For the interviews we used the CMS dugong catch by- catch questionnaire
Adapted it to Vanuatu – adding some tourism questions. Tourism has been sited as a potential threat to dugongs in Vanuatu.

6. Interviews with villagers and fishermen

7. Travelling for the dugong questionnaire
Example of the challenges face in Vanuatu when travelling in the outer islands – lack of infrastructure. Flight cancelled because the grass on the airstrip was not cut.
Transport is expensive and a little unreliable.
For example for a two day visit or workshop you need to budget to be in some islands for a week as the flights and boats don’t visit that often.
Conservation dollars don’t go as far in Vanuatu.

8. Number of Respondents: 530 community members interviewed
Sites: 193 sites were visited on 32 islands in all 6 provinces during the survey in 2016/7
Number of Respondents: 530 community members interviewed
Gender: 62 women (11.7%) gave responses to the questionnaire.
Age:
0.9% respondents under 15 yrs
13% 15 to 25 years
64% yrs
0.4% over 50 yrs.
Some gaps in the areas covered – West coast Santo, Small islands – Fatuna, Mere lava, and Aniwa.

9. Dugong and seagrass areas
69 maps have been produced and a database of responses to the questionnaire.
Dugong areas malampa
Seagrass areas shefa

10. Dugong sightings Sightings:
1433 sightings of dugongs were recorded during the survey.
895 of them were from (852 live, 18 dead, 25 not specified).
Some of dad probably same dugong reported.

11. Perceptions 90% of respondents say that dugongs are important.
45% think there are more dugongs than before, 23% think there are less and 14% think there are the same.

12. Threats
Of the 116 dead dugong sightings recorded, in 44 the cause was unknown, 28 killed in nets, 13 were stranded on shore and 12 were hunted
In the last 10 years only 4 were reported as hunted.
Some sightings esp dead ones may have been reported twice.

13. Fishing Fishing occurs all year round
Majority in un-motorised canoes (38%) or boats under 10 meters with outboard motors (41%).
30% of fishers report using gillnets.
More than half (56%) said they leave the nets unattended.

14. Fishing gear

15. Maps of sightings: Overlap of fishing pressure and dead dugong sightings
Sightings map of Malampa

16. Dugongs and tourism
34% of respondents said they know of a tourism activity where tourists could see dugongs.
67% of them said see dugongs was incidental during a tour for another purpose.
The majority allow tourism in the water with the dugongs.
Most people (79%) know that you need a licence to for a dugong-watching tour.

17. Dugongs and the law
90% of respondents know it is against the law to kill a dugong on purpose
But only 50% know it is illegal to kill one by accident, 25% of respondents did not know and 25% thought it was not illegal if it was an accident.

18. Dugong hotspots
During NFC meeting in November 2017 and in subsequent consultations participants looked at the following maps:
Dugong areas, seagrass areas and dugong sightings
Areas where communities reported more than 10 dugongs that overlap with gillnet fishing areas
Areas where communities reported 2 to 10 dugongs that overlap with gillnet fishing areas
Gillnet fishing density overlapping with dead dugong sightings

19. Maps produced to establish the Dugong hotspot areas
Change Maps
20 Hotspot areas located using maps of:
overlap of gill net fishing with places where the community say 2 - >10 dugongs regularly occur
Seagrass areas overlap with dugong sightings
Dead dugongs sightings overlap with fishing Pressure
Prioritised using the data Plus Expert knowledge of other threats such as development and tourism.

20. Dugong hotspots The hotspots were identified as the areas where:
The local community said there were 2 to > 10 dugongs that overlapped with areas where the local community said they use gillnets for fishing
and / or
Where significant numbers of dugong sightings, particularly dead dugongs, were reported.
20 Hotspots were identified

21. 20 hotspot areas.

22. Hotspot prioritisation
The twenty hotspots were assigned a priority for conservation measures of high, medium or low as a result of discussions with the local experts about other threats that are likely to be present in the areas. Other threats include development, high human population, tourism and high boat traffic.
Six were considered of high priority, nine medium priority and five of low priority.

23. Dugong hotspots – provincial maps
Malampa and Shefa.
Most hotspots were as expected. However: Emae – new area for dugongs. Note on Tanna.

24. Awareness and Outreach

25. Awareness Materials

26. 2500 dugong/ seagrass posters developed and distributed
1350 booklets about dugongs and seagrass distributed.

27. Dugong and Seagrass Exhibition
Dugong Exhibition at the National Archive in August 2017.
332 people came to the exhibition which ran for 2 weeks
126 school children, 206 adults
147 male and 185 female.
Included an art workshop for children and evening talk on dugongs.

28. Dugong exhibition. Information, Quizzes, interactive activities e. g
Dugong exhibition. Information, Quizzes, interactive activities e.g. seagrass food web. Ecosystem debate.

29. Dugong handicraft and art competition
Sponsored by Sharper Image and Vila Distribution Hardware. 32 entries

33. Dugong Eco bags
150 eco-bags with dugong conservation message given out or sold. 200 dugongs stickers given out or sold

34. Awareness and Outreach: Need identified
Education about dugong friendly fishing techniques
Education about good tourism practices including alternatives to trying to tame or catch a dugong for tourism.
Increase awareness of the legal protections of dugongs.
From the questionnaire

35. Policy

36. Policies influences by the results of questionnaire
Data and maps generated by the project are being used in the process of identifying Special and Unique marine areas in Vanuatu under the Oceans Policy with view to create a network of marine reserves in Vanuatu by 2020.
Data and maps generated by the project are being used in the drafting of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, currently being drafted.
Guidelines for tourists and code of conduct for tourism operators have been written and will be incorporated into the Department of Tourism’s minimum standards for the tourism sector.
In 2018 a National plan of action for dugongs and their seagrass habitat will be written, including review of dugong protection under Fisheries Act.
National sustainable development plan – The People’s Plan 2015 – Environment plan is one of the pillars.

37. Seagrass assessment and monitoring

38. Training Workshop on Seagrass Watch techniques for Seagrass monitoring and assessments
Seagrass Watch Workshop – trained 9 Ni-Vanuatu Scientists in the technique. Plus 6 Solomon Islanders
Monitoring events – 2 in Erakor Lagoon and one in Ponganisu on Efate. One site we identified has been silted over in the cyclone. – will keep an eye on it.
Mapping in Erakor Lagoon.

39. Summary of Progress on the project
Dugongs: maps and data on distribution and threats thorough out Vanuatu
Seagrass: maps and data on distribution throughout Vanuatu. Data on composition, distribution and abundance for 2 sites
Policies: Dugong hotspots and data used in to identify special and unique marine areas and contribution to NBSAP. Guidelines for tourism operators to be incorporated into minimum standards.
Communities: 530 community members interviewed throughout Vanuatu and given educational materials. 2 community participating in monitoring seagrass in a dugong hotspot

40. Challenges to conservation and research in Vanuatu
Small remote developing countries such as Vanuatu face significant challenges to conserving threatened species such as:
A lack of, even baseline, scientific data on the species and their habitats
Limited capacity and human resources for scientific research
Geography
Natural disasters
Limited and expensive transport networks to the majority of the islands
Lack of funding
As you can see from the two examples of Seagrass and dugongs there is la lack of baseline data. Vanuatu is classed as a least developed country. Depends on donor funding We have a population of almost of just over a quarter of a million, 75% of people live a predominately subsistence lifestyle in the rural areas of the outer islands. Not a big pool of people to conduct research. No International conservation NGOs in Vanuatu. Science campus of USP is in Fiji. Vanuatu has the law campus. Much of the conservation and research projects and programmes fall upon the government departments. There is limited capacity both in terms of human resources and funding. But mostly human resources. Lack of peers and mentors in country.

41. Advantages to conservation in Vanuatu
Being small and remote can also be an advantage: :
Rural population may not be cash rich but not desperate – less opportunity cost to change in behaviour
Land tenure – custom owned and therefore a true sense of guardianship over the land and natural resources.
Intact traditional management practices in many communities.
Empathy and desire in many communities to help and protect the animals and plants.
Not in all areas
Will need support for it to continue and to integrate scientific knowledge into the management.

42. Plans for 2018
Policies: National plan of action for dugongs and their seagrass habitat. Finalise and launch tourism guidelines.
Awareness: Finalise awareness workshop materials and conduct awareness workshops in at least 4 dugong hotspots
Incorporate dugong and seagrass conservation actions into the management plans for community conservation areas in at least 50% of the high priority hotspots
Seagrass assessments using Seagrass Watch protocols in at least 2 more hotspot areas (additional activity with CEPF funding)
Conduct aerial surveys with UAV in at least 4 hotspot areas (additional activity with CEPF funding)

43. Keys to success so far and benefits beyond deliverables of the project

44. The National Facilitating Committee
The National Facilitating Committee developed under the Project has been valuable for exchange of information not only for the project but other matters as well. VESS is happy to host similar meetings beyond the end of this project. Tourism, Environment fisheries, WSB, cultural centre.
Support of the project partners invaluable.

45. Access to international experts and tools
Access to tools such as the dugong catch / by-catch questionnaire
Advice from international experts
Checking of educational materials and tourism guidelines.
Assisted with project proposals to other funders
Assisting with project and survey design e.g. aerial survey
Has allowed Vanuatu to use the investment to maximize the effectiveness of the project

46. Creating capacity
USP undergraduates are in the survey team. Douglas is working on the project full time and is here this week. Ajay has gone on to the Vanuatu Fisheries Department and is employed in the policy division. With mentoring, collaboration and networking within a global community of dugong and seagrass conservationist, maybe one day, one of them will sit on an international panel of experts for dugong conservation.
Two Ni-Vanuatu marine scientists have been employed on the project. 5 Ni-Vanuatu students assisted with the questionnaires
8 Vanuatu scientist have been trained in seagrass assessment and monitoring.

47. Leveraging further funding
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) small grant to produce education materials
CEPF large grant to extend the activities of the dugong and seagrass project to conduct aerial surveys with drones and start Seagrass Watch in Vanuatu.
Supply of equipment to improve seagrass assessments and monitoring from CEFAS and Commonwealth marine Economies project.
Change Picture

48. Engaging a volunteer
Australian volunteer to assist with developing appropriate eco-tourism involving wildlife in Vanuatu.
The Australian government is funding a volunteer assignment with us to look at the potential for ecotourism ventures with wildlife, including dugongs. Again our application was greatly assisted by being part of the D&SCP.
Currently advertising – application close on 21st March. Australians.

49. Benefits for VESS Establishment of the organisation
Confidence to design further studies
Credibility to apply for future funding
VESS is a small young NGO in a developing country and being part of the global Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project has brought several benefits.
Being part of the global team with advice available from experts. Confidence that the methods we are using will yield valuable results comparable to other countries. Contributing to global knowledge.
Give the donors confidence in our new organisation – we are finalizing funding for a project to conserve endemic flying foxes in Vanuatu as well.

50. Vanuatu’s dugongs have a reputation of being friendly
To watch the video please visit:
Video is taken by divers diving with Big Blue, one of the dive operators in the capital city Port Vila. This is about 10 minutes boat ride from the city. When we see them it Is often at the mooring lines – they seem to like to use them as a scratching post. When they are taught with the boats on them.
Mother is suckling calf. Can hear the chirp of the calf. Last footage taken on Monday last week. There is about 5 minutes of continuous footage so you can see that this dugong is quite happy to swim around the divers even with her calf. Will turn towards the divers and come really quite close.

51. Interview with Joseph Soksok
To watch the video please visit:
As an example here is Joseph Soksok who is the chairperson of a conservation area in South East Malekula – in the same place where the photo of the 23 dugongs was taken.

52. Thank you for your attention