Download Press Release (ENG): Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation

PRESS RELEASE
Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund and Zayed University Students Work
Together to Raise Global Awareness about Dugong and Seagrass Conservation
The MBZ Fund is managing a $5.8m grant from the Global Environment Facility to save
dugong and seagrass across the Indian Ocean and into the South Pacific
22 May 2016, Abu Dhabi, UAE: At an event hosted by Zayed University on International Day for
Biological Diversity, the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund publicly announced a
$5.8m Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant to save the endangered dugong and its seagrass
ecosystems across the Indian Ocean and into the South Pacific. Zayed University students, in
partnership with students from 16 international universities, are helping the Fund raise
awareness of the importance of dugong and seagrass conservation.
“The presence of dugong and seagrass in a marine ecosystem is a good indication that the
ecosystem is healthy,” said Her Excellency Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director of the
Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund. “Protecting these species and their
environment is good for local communities because a healthy marine environment provides
plentiful food, protects coasts from storm erosion and ensures clean sea water,” continued Her
Excellency.
The Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project, funded by the GEF and managed by the
Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (the MBZ Fund), encompasses eight countries
across the Indian Ocean and into the South Pacific including Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia,
Mozambique, the Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu. The MBZ Fund works
with partners in these countries to implement 38 locally-managed conservation projects. These
conservation partnerships are helping to save dugong and seagrass using science and research
techniques, awareness raising programmes, conservation policy development, and providing
incentives for communities to protect the species.
As part of a globally connected university-level class, Zayed University students together with
students from 16 universities in countries such as the United States, Russia, Germany, Malaysia,
Australia, and Chile, have joined together here in Abu Dhabi to advise the MBZ Fund on digital
communications, marketing and public relations for the project. The students’ efforts are
geared toward engaging the public through social media and marketing strategies across the
world, including here in Abu Dhabi.
The student-work will help the MBZ Fund launch a global campaign to raise awareness of
dugong and seagrass and to help conserve them throughout their range. Seagrass ecosystems
are regarded as important as coral reef systems because they are critical to the success of
coastal fisheries. Seagrass also play an important role in reducing the effects of climate change,
yet they are under pressure from human activities. Dugongs are the world’s only vegetarian
marine mammal and are reliant on seagrasses for food. Seagrass ecosystems with dugongs are
an indicator of a healthy ecosystem. When seagrass are healthy they play an important role in
securing dietary needs of coastal communities and millions of consumers of fish and seafood
globally. They also protect coasts from the impacts of storms, improve the quality of marine
water and help prevent climate change acceleration.
However, dugong and seagrass are under threat. The dugong is listed on the IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species (http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/6909/0) as ‘Vulnerable’ to extinction
due to vessel strikes, illegal hunting and destructive fishing practices (cyanide, dynamite,
netting), as well as habitat destruction. Seagrass has been disappearing at a rate of 110 km2 per
year since 1980. This loss is primarily caused by sedimentation, poorly planned coastal
development, inappropriate land use and destructive fishing practices. Seagrass meadows,
despite their importance, exist with minimal environmental protection.
“The Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project, executed by the MBZ Fund, represents an
unprecedented global investment in the conservation of these endangered species and
contributes to Abu Dhabi’s already impressive track record of supporting environmental
conservation efforts worldwide,” said Her Excellency Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing
Director of the MBZ Fund. “Working with Zayed University students and their counterparts
from different universities across the world, gives the Fund the opportunity to tap into the
insights of a digitally connected and environmentally aware generation. We are thrilled that
these students are helping us make a difference in the world,” said Her Excellency Mrs. Al
Mubarak.
The MBZ Fund also unveiled its new dugong-focused website to help the public learn more
about the species. The website www.dugongconservation.org features dugong and seagrass
through a combination of information, photos, videos, and social media activities to provide a
platform from which the public can become involved in the conservation of these important
species. The Fund encourages the public to visit the site and participate in the online
conversation to help conserve these amazing species.
Notes to the editor:
About the Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project
The Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project seeks to conserve seagrass ecosystems through
a combination of science and research, conservation policy development and implementation,
community incentives, as well as outreach and education programmes. More than 26 partners
and 38 projects across eight countries (Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mozambique,
Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu) form the basis of this global conservation
effort. The Project is executed by the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, with
financing from the Global Environment Facility, implementation support by the United Nations
Environment Programme and technical support from the Convention on Migratory Species’
Dugong MoU Secretariat. For more information, please visit www.dugongconservation.org
About the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund
The Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund is a significant philanthropic endowment
established in 2009 by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of
Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to provide targeted
grants to individual species conservation initiatives; recognize leaders in the field of species
conservation; and elevate the importance of species in the broader conservation debate. The
Fund’s reach in species conservation is global, and its species interest is non-discriminatory. To
date the Fund supported nearly 1,500 projects in more than 150 countries. The Fund provides
support (financial, in-kind and management support) to the Dugong and Seagrass Conservation
Project. Visit http://www.speciesconservation.org/
For more information, please contact:
For more English language enquiries contact Kirk Duthler ([email protected]) at +971 50
780 7401; or Maya Bankova-Todorova ([email protected]) at +971 50 150 4421. For
Arabic language enquiries contact Nabil Zakhour ([email protected]) at +971 50 445 8010
or Mariam Yacout ([email protected]) at +971 2 632 9117.