CGR4.MOT027
Promotion of Dugong during the UN 2010 International Year for Biodiversity
RECALLING Dugong Status Report and Action Plans for Countries and Territories of the United Nations Environment Programme/Department of Early Warning and Assessment (UNEP/DEWA) in 2002, which warned about the alarming status of the Dugong (Dugong dugon) in most of its range;
RECALLING FURTHER Recommendation 7.5 adopted by the 7th Meeting of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) (Bonn, 2002), which called on all range states of the Dugong to develop and
conclude a memorandum of understanding and an action plan for the conservation and management of the Dugong throughout its range;
RECOGNIZING that the Knowledge Marketplace Session Dugong Conservation
Network in Asia and Pacific held in the World Conservation Forum of the 3rd
World Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004) acknowledged the alarming status
of the Dugong and the urgent need to strengthen the network to support Dugong conservation in the Asia and Pacific region;
RECOGNIZING FURTHER that the Asia-Pacific Dugong Protection Network Symposium held by NGOs in Tokyo and Nago, Japan in 2006, addressed the urgent need to establish an international framework for Dugong conservation;
that the Governments of Australia and Thailand co-hosted the first meeting on Dugong conservation in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asian region under the auspices of CMS in 2005; and that the Memorandum of Understanding on the
Conservation and Management of Dugongs (Dugong dugon) and their habitats throughout their Range was adopted and signed by range countries under the auspices of CMS in 2007;
RECALLING Rec 2.72 (Conservation of Dugong (Dugong dugon), Okinawa Woodpecker (Sapheopipo noguchii) and Okinawa Rail (Gallirallus okinawae)) adopted by the 2nd World Conservation Congress (Amman, 2000) and Rec 3.114
(Conservation of Dugong (Dugong dugon), Okinawa woodpecker (Sapheopipo noguchii), and Okinawa rail (Gallirallus okinawae) in Japan) adopted by the 3rd World Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004), which urged the Government
of Japan to establish a Dugong protected area and consider a zero option alternative in its environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the construction of the United States (US) Marine Corps facility in the habitat of the Okinawa Dugong in the northern part of Okinawa Island, and urged the Government of the United States of America (USA) to cooperate with the
Government of Japan in its EIA;
WELCOMING that the Governments of Japan and the USA withdrew in 2005 the previous offshore plan to construct the US Marine Corps facility in the habitat of the Okinawa Dugong in the northern part of Okinawa Island;
NOTING that the Government of Japan has begun its EIA for the new coastal plan to construct the US Marine Corps facility, requiring reclamation of a portion of the coastline of the Okinawa Dugong's habitat in the same area as
its previous plan; and
CONSIDERING that the US Federal District Court has ruled that the Government of the USA has failed to comply with the National Historical Preservation Act (NHPA) in its planning of the construction of the US Marine Corps facility in the habitat of the Okinawa Dugong, and that the US Federal District Court has ordered the Government of the USA to comply with the NHPA, in particular, in taking into account the effects of the construction of the facility on the Okinawa Dugong;
The World Conservation Congress at its 4th Session in Barcelona, Spain, 5-14 October 2008:
1. URGES the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Convention on
the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) to especially
promote the conservation of the Dugong during the UN 2010 International Year
of Biodiversity;
2.RECOMMENDS that all range countries with Dugong habitats make efforts to
minimize adverse effects on the Dugong and participate in the CMS Memorandum
of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of Dugongs and their
habitats throughout their Range, and
3.URGES the Governments of Japan and the United States of America to:
a. Together conduct an environmental impact assessment, including a zero option
alternative for the construction of the US Marine Corps facility in the
habitat of the Okinawa Dugong with a view to environmental conservation and
wild animal protection; and
b. Establish and declare, by consulting with academics, researchers and NGOs,
an action plan to avoid or minimize adverse effects on the Okinawa Dugong
caused by the construction of the US Marine Corps facility in the habitat of
the Okinawa Dugong;
In addition, the IUCN World Conservation Congress at its 4th Session in
Barcelona, Spain, 5-14 October 2008, provides the following guidance in the
implementation of the Programme 2009-2012:
4. CALLS on the IUCN Director General and the Species Survival Commission (SSC)
to support UNEP and CMS's promotion of Dugong conservation during the 2010
International Year for Biodiversity.
Sponsors:
Save the Dugong Campaign Center (SDCC)
The Nature Conservation Society of Japan
WWF Japan
Elsa Nature Conservancy
Japanese Association for Wild Geese Protection
Endorsements:
Japan Wetland Action Network
Comment:
In respect of the programme, the activities provided for in this motion are
included in the Programme 2009-2012 but would require additional resources
for implementation. This motion is referred to a Programme Hearing and an ad
hoc contact group. Interested parties are invited to confer on the contents
of this motion with the aim of achieving an agreed text prior to the
Members' Assembly.
Explanatory memorandum
The Dugong (Dugong dugon) is a herbivorous marine mammal and lives in a large area covering 37 countries and territories. In most of these countries and territories, however, the Dugong is on the verge of extinction. One urgent case is in Okinawa, Japan, where the northernmost Dugongs in this habitat face the possibility of extinction due to the Japanese and US governments' plan to construct a US Marine Corps facility. It is crucial to create an international framework to promote the understanding of and implement existing and forthcoming measures for Dugong conservation while also calling for the responsibility and accountability of the Japanese and US governments in their undertaking of the construction plan. This motion aims to achieve these goals. This motion is built upon the steady progress made in recent years towards
the establishment of a strong and effective international network for Dugong conservation. The progress includes: Recommendation 7.5 adopted by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)
(Bonn, 2002), the Knowledge Marketplace Session Dugong Conservation Network in Asia and Pacific at the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok, 2004), the First Meeting on Dugong conservation in the Indian Ocean and
Southeast Asia under the auspices of CMS (Bangkok, 2005), the Asia-Pacific Dugong Protection Network Symposium held by NGOs in Tokyo and Nago (Japan, 2006), and the CMS Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and
Management of Dugongs and their habitats throughout their Range (2007). Designation of 2010 as International Year of the Dugong will optimize this progress.
This motion is also built upon the IUCN Congress's involvement and a recent crucial development for the conservation of the Okinawa Dugong. IUCN Recommendation 2.72 (Amman, 2000) and Recommendation 3.114 (Bangkok, 2004)
urged the Japanese government to conduct a proper environmental impact assessment (EIA) for its plan to construct the US Marine Corps facility in the Dugong's habitat, while calling for the establishment of a protected area for the Dugong. These recommendations were instrumental in the Japanese and US governments' decision to withdraw the previous construction plan in September 2005.
Yet, the Japanese and US governments proposed in May 2006 a new "coastal" plan to construct the US Marine Corps facility in almost the same area as the previous plan. The Japanese government began its questionable EIA in
August 2007.
In January 2008, however, the US Federal District Court delivered an extremely important decision, ruling that the US government was responsible and had failed to comply with the National Historical Preservation Act (NHPA) in drawing up the construction plan. The court also ordered the US government to comply with the NHPA by reviewing the Japanese government's EIA and to find a way to avoid or mitigate adverse effects on the Dugong
from the construction of the facility. The US court's decision provides an excellent opportunity and a vital framework for the IUCN Congress to urge the Japanese and US governments to conduct a joint EIA for the conservation of the Okinawa Dugong.