Malaysia: Marine biologist receives RM480k grant to study Malaysia's endangered dugongs

tan cheng li The Star 17 Mar 14;

Malaysian scientist Dr Louisa Ponnampalan receives a RM480,000 fellowship in marine conservation for her research on endangered dugongs off the coast of Johor.

Marine biologist Dr Louisa Ponnampalam has been awarded the 2014 Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation to conduct research on Malaysia’s population of dugongs. The award comes with US$150,000 (RM480,000) for a three-year project to address conservation challenges facing our oceans.

Malaysia’s coast is undergoing rapid, large-scale developments, sometimes putting pressure on its marine environment. Focusing on the islands located off the east coast of Johor, Ponnampalam’s research will identify areas that are critical for one of the country’s last remaining population of dugongs in order to make recommendations for their habitat protection.

“Seagrass beds in Malaysia, which are a crucial part of the dugong’s habitat and diet, and support a diversity of marine life including our seafood resources, are currently not afforded any legal provisions,” says Ponnampalam.

“This project would allow us to further understand dugong distribution and behaviour and their reliance on this particular area, so that government authorities can soon make informed decisions about enabling the protection of important habitat areas.”

The dugong is currently listed as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, but certain populations of dugongs are likely to be critically endangered, including those found along the coasts of Malaysia.

These herbivorous marine mammals and their seagrass habitats are threatened by human activities such as coastal development, commercial fishing, and a lack of provision for habitat protection.

Over the course of the next three years, Ponnampalam will gather scientific data on dugongs and their habitat using visual, acoustic and underwater surveys. Through an international exchange, this research will also assist other scientists working to protect dugongs around the world.

“The dugong is an increasingly rare and fascinating creature, but little of the habitat it relies on is protected within its range,” says Joshua S Reichert, executive vice-president and head of environment initiatives for The Pew Charitable Trusts.

“Dr Ponnampalam’s study will shed light on how and where dugongs live in Peninsular Malaysia, and will encourage an exchange of data among countries to better protect these extraordinary creatures.”

Ponnampalam is a research fellow at the Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences of the University of Malaya. She also co-founded the MareCet Research Organisation in 2012, a local non-government organisation dedicated solely to the research and conservation of marine mammals.

The Pew Fellows Programme in Marine Conservation has awarded 135 fellowships to individuals from 31 countries. Each year, it selects five marine fellows and fund their projects which protect ocean environments.

The four other recipients in 2014 are:

Dr Demian Chapman, a scientist with Stony Brook University, for a research project to determine how recently enacted international regulations affect the trade in the fins of protected shark species.

Dr Stefan Gelcich, an assistant professor at the Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Chile, for a project to examine the social and ecological incentives that enable the incorporation of no-take zones within territorial fishing areas along the Chilean coast;

Paul Greenberg, an award-winning journalist and author of the New York Times bestseller Four Fish: The Future Of The Last Wild Food, to prepare a book focusing on the human demand for Omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood, and its impact on the sustainability of the world’s oceans;

Dr Hoyt Peckham, a pioneer of social and marine stewardship based in La Paz, México, to expand on his work on incentivising sustainable fishing along the coast of Northwest Mexico to other communities in the region and around the world.

For more information, go to pewmarinefellows.org.