Daniel Bateman The Cairns Post 27 Oct 10;
TRADITIONAL owners are putting their boats between illegal hunters and dugongs in an effort to stop the endangered animals being driven to extinction.
While some traditional owners are allowed to hunt the animal for cultural reasons, hunters who do not hold this right are abusing the resource.
Mandubarra Land and Sea Corporation spokesman James Epong said the situation had become so bad in some parts of the Far North that traditional owners feared dugongs may become extinct.
"Between Mossman and Innisfail, (dugong) are going to be extinct in these areas, because of indigenous people and Islander people moving into a town and just freely going out and taking what they want," Mr Epong said.
"The traditional owners of the land, we’re up in arms.
"We even put our boats in between the dugong and the hunters if we don’t know who they are."
It has been estimated about 200 dugongs are killed in Far Northern waters each year.
In Federal Parliament on Monday, the Opposition called for bipartisan support for a national dugong and sea turtle protection plan.
But Environment Minister Tony Burke failed to respond to questions from The Cairns Post yesterday about whether the Government would support the move.
Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt said there needed to be a crackdown on illegal dugong hunting.
Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch also backed the call, saying dugong were hunted to local extinction in Mauritius and Taiwan.
"It is going to happen in this area unless something is done at the national level, because the threats and the challenges to these magnificent species mean that we may have another Tasmanian tiger on our hands," Mr Entsch said.
Dugong could be extinct within 40 years
AAP Sydney Morning Herald 26 Oct 10;
Dugong could be extinct within 40 years if governments don't intervene to stamp out unsustainable traditional hunting practices, senior coalition MP Warren Entsch has warned.
Using figures released at an international conference in Abu Dhabi earlier this month, Mr Entsch said the animals, also called sea cows, were already extinct in many areas.
Mr Entsch, whose north Queensland electorate of Leichhardt covers prime dugong territory, said the evidence suggested the species could be completely extinct worldwide within 40 years.
An estimated 2000 dugong are taken from Queensland waters each year under traditional hunting provisions, he said, although the number could be significantly higher.
"We seriously need to look at this, and I think it would be irresponsible for us as a society to allow this to continue," Mr Entsch said.
In federal parliament on Monday night, coalition MPs called for the establishment of a National Dugong & Turtle Protection Plan to save the species from extinction.
Mr Entsch said the plan would need to include a temporary moratorium on hunting so authorities could determine how many dugong were left in the wild.
Under the plan, he said traditional owners would be encouraged to notify authorities of illegal or inappropriate hunting.
"People will argue that it is about taking away native title rights, but I can assure you if the species dies out that is a guaranteed way of enjoying no native title rights."
