An assessment of Dugong (Dugong dugon) resources in the autonomous region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Interviews were conducted in 25 locations (five in Survey Area 1, eight in Survey Area 2, and 12 in Survey Area 3) in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARB) with the majority of the interviews conducted in a focus group setting (80 %). A total of 20 adults and 10 calves were reported during this assessment for the first two months of 2008, with a total of 37 adults and 17 calves reported overall for 2007 and 2008. A total of 54.2 % respondent groups across all survey areas believed that dugong numbers had in fact increased in recent years, whilst 8.3 % thought that they had declined, 29.2 % felt that they were the same whilst 8.3 % were unsure. Reasons given for the increase in dugong populations in Survey Areas 1 and 2 was reported to be linked to the cessation of hunting; whilst respondents in Survey Area 3 thought it was due to the cessation of the mine, and subsequently less waste, sedimentation and boat traffic (both commercial and recreational).