Coffee baron's bid to save Australia's dugongs

Daniel Bateman The Cairns Post 18 Jun 10;

A COFFEE baron has vowed to support a dugong count to find out how many of the endangered mammals are still left in the wild.

Traditional owners, conservationists and the Opposition are lobbying State and Federal governments to temporarily halt traditional hunting of dugongs and sea turtles.

Zarrafas founder Kenton Campbell will be in Cairns next week to speak to animal activists about the issue.

Mr Campbell, who also founded the Gold Coast-based conservation group Ecoforce, said he backed the call for a moratorium for the activity "100 per cent".

"It’s just not right and it needs to stop," he said.

However, there needed to be an accurate count of the animals to determine how many were still left in the wild.

Dugongs are listed as vulnerable species in Queensland's waters with some scientists believing dugong numbers to have been decimated by as much as 95 per cent over a 50-year period.

"That’s something I would certainly put my hand up for, even just to be part of that (survey) personnel," Mr Campbell said.

"I think it’s something that really needs to be done, so we know where we’re at."

The RSPCA has also backed the call for a 12-month moratorium on dugong and turtle killing, saying traditional methods are "inherently cruel".

RSPCA assistant chief inspector Tracey Jackson said it would at least give a temporary reprieve for the animals.

"There is no doubt that some of the traditional methods used are inherently cruel and, in this day and age, basically unnecessary."

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority says there is no legislative basis for imposing a moratorium on traditional hunting of dugong and sea turtles.

A GBRMPA spokeswoman said the authority supported traditional use and recognised the important role it played in customs of traditional owners within the marine park.