Mozambique Signs Dugong MoU
18 April 2011: Mozambique has become the 19th signatory to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)/Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Dugongs and their Habitats throughout their Range (Dugong MoU). Mozambique's Dugong population is the largest in East Africa, with 200-300 individuals.
The Minister for Coordination of Environmental Affairs, Alcinda António de Abreu, signed the Dugong MoU in Maputo, on 18 April 2011, making Mozambique the newest signatory.
According to the CMS, the signing also commemorated the launch of a new pilot project in Bazaruto Bay, the center of Mozambique's Dugong population, on financial incentives for Dugong conservation and updating information on Dugong distribution, impact from by-catch, and their habitats in Mozambique. [CMS Press Release]