India to host First South Asia Dugong Conservation Workshop

Tuticorin, June 2011 – In a major step towards enhanced regional cooperation for the conservation of the Dugong (Sea Cow), India will host the First South Asia Sub-Regional Workshop on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs on 6th and 7th June 2011, in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu. Policy and conservation management experts from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will come together to discuss the status of dugong conservation in their respective countries, establish standardized methods to survey dugongs and their habitats, and work towards preparing a coordinated Dugong Conservation and Management Plan in South Asia, under the United Nations Environment Programme and the Convention on Migratory Species (UNEP/CMS). The workshop is being organized jointly by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and the UNEP/CMS Secretariat, in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India.