Researchers have declared a mammal related to the manatee – said to have inspired ancient tales of mermaids and sirens – extinct in China. Only three people surveyed from coastal communities in China reported seeing the dugong in the past five years. Known as the ocean’s most gentle giant, the dugong’s slow, relaxed behaviour is likely to have made it vulnerable to overfishing and shipping accidents. It still exists elsewhere in the world but is facing similar threats.
Prof Samuel Turvey, from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), who co-authored the research study, said: “The likely disappearance of the dugong in China is a devastating loss.”
Scientists at ZSL and the Chinese Academy of Science reviewed all historical data on where dugongs had previously been found in China.
They found there had been no verified sightings by scientists since 2000.
In addition, the researchers turned to citizen science to interview 788 community members living in those coastal regions identified, to determine when local people had last seen one.
On average, residents reported not having seen a dugong for 23 years. Only three people had seen one in the past five years.
This has led the researchers to declare the dugong functionally extinct – meaning “it is no longer viable… to sustain itself”, Heidi Ma, postdoctoral researcher at ZSL, told the BBC.
The dugong is a unique character of the sea. Weighing in at almost half a tonne, it is the only vegetarian marine mammal.
Similar in appearance and behaviour to the manatee, but distinguished by its whale-like tail, its gentle – seemingly benign – disposition has led some to believe that it inspired ancient seafaring tales of mermaids.
Sadly, its habitat close to shore in China left it vulnerable to hunters in the 20th Century who sought the animal for its skin, bones and meat.
After a notable decline in population, dugongs were classified as a grade-one national key protected animal by the Chinese State Council in 1988.
But researchers believe that the continuing destruction of its habitat – including a lack of seagrass beds for feed – has caused a “rapid population collapse”.
The UN Environment Programme estimates that 7% of seagrass habitat is being lost globally every year because of industrial and agricultural pollution, coastal development, unregulated fishing and climate change.
Prof Turvey said its extinction in China should act as a warning to other regions that house dugongs – including Australia and East Africa – calling it “a sobering reminder that extinctions can occur before effective conservation actions are developed”.
The species is found in 37 other tropical regions in the world – in particular the shallow coastal waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans – but is classified as “vulnerable” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) red list of threatened species.
Countries are currently meeting in New York to sign a new UN marine treaty which would put 30% of the world’s oceans in protected areas.
Kristina Gjerde, high-seas policy adviser for the IUCN, told the BBC: “The dugong is a sad example of what is happening to the marine environment where there is increasing encroachment of human activities.”
Watafiti wametangaza kwamba mnyama anayeitwa manatee - anayedhaniwa kuwa aliongoza hadithi za kale za wasichana wa baharini na sireni - ameangamia nchini China. Watu watatu tu waliochunguzwa kutoka jamii za pwani nchini China waliripoti kuwa wameona dugong katika miaka mitano iliyopita. Kwa kuwa dugong ni kiumbe mwenye fadhili sana, huenda tabia yake ya polepole na ya kupumzika imemfanya awe hatari kwa uvuvi wa kupita kiasi na aksidenti za meli. Bado ipo mahali pengine ulimwenguni lakini inakabiliwa na vitisho kama hivyo. "Professor Samuel Turvey wa Zoological Society of London, ambaye ni mwandishi mwenza wa utafiti huo, alisema: ""Uharibifu wa dugong nchini China ni hasara kubwa,"" wanasayansi wa ZSL na Chuo cha Sayansi cha China walikagua data zote za kihistoria juu ya mahali ambapo dugong zilipatikana hapo awali nchini China." Kwa mujibu wa ripoti hiyo, hakuna uchunguzi wowote wa kisayansi uliofanywa tangu mwaka 2000. Kwa kuongezea, watafiti waligeukia sayansi ya raia kuhoji wanachama wa jamii 788 wanaoishi katika mikoa hiyo ya pwani iliyotajwa, ili kuamua ni lini watu wa eneo hilo waliona moja ya mwisho. Kwa wastani, wakazi wa eneo hilo walisema kwamba hawakuona dugong kwa miaka 23. Ni watu watatu tu waliowahi kuona moja katika miaka mitano iliyopita. "Hii imesababisha watafiti kutangaza dugong kuwa imeangamia, ikimaanisha ""haifai tena kujitegemea,"" Heidi Ma, mtafiti wa baada ya udaktari katika ZSL, aliiambia BBC." Dugong ni aina ya kipekee ya bahari. Kwa kuwa inazidi uzito wa nusu tani, ni mnyama pekee wa baharini anayekula mboga. Mnyama huyo anafanana na manatee kwa sura na tabia, lakini ana mkia kama wa nyangumi, na tabia yake ya upole na yenye kuonekana kuwa nzuri imesababisha baadhi ya watu kuamini kwamba aliongoza hadithi za kale za baharini za nyangumi. Kwa kusikitisha, mazingira yake karibu na pwani nchini China yalimfanya awe hatari kwa wawindaji katika karne ya 20 ambao walimtafuta mnyama huyo kwa ngozi, mifupa na nyama. Baada ya kupungua kwa idadi ya wanyama hao, Dugong waliorodheshwa kama wanyama muhimu wa kitaifa waliolindwa na Baraza la Jimbo la China mwaka 1988. Lakini watafiti wanaamini kwamba uharibifu unaoendelea wa makao yake - kutia ndani ukosefu wa nyasi za baharini za kulisha - umesababisha "kupungua kwa idadi ya watu haraka". Programu ya Mazingira ya Umoja wa Mataifa inakadiria kuwa asilimia saba ya mazingira ya nyasi za baharini zinapotea kila mwaka kwa sababu ya uchafuzi wa viwanda na kilimo, maendeleo ya pwani, uvuvi usio na udhibiti na mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa. "Prof Turvey alisema kutoweka kwake nchini China kunapaswa kuwa onyo kwa mikoa mingine inayowakilisha dugong, ikiwa ni pamoja na Australia na Afrika Mashariki, akisema ni ""kumbusho chanya kwamba kutoweka kunaweza kutokea kabla ya hatua za ufanisi za uhifadhi kuanzishwa.""" Spishi hii hupatikana katika maeneo mengine 37 ya kitropiki ulimwenguni, haswa katika maji ya pwani ya Bahari ya Hindi na magharibi mwa Pasifiki, lakini imeainishwa kama "inaathirika" kwenye orodha nyekundu ya Umoja wa Kimataifa wa Uhifadhi wa Asili (IUCN) ya spishi zilizo hatarini. Mkutano wa kimataifa wa kimataifa wa kimataifa wa UNU-Mali ya Bahari ya Dunia unafanyika mjini New York, Marekani, ambapo nchi wanachama wa Umoja wa Mataifa zinakubaliana kuanzisha mkataba mpya wa kuhifadhi asilimia 30 ya bahari duniani. "Kristina Gjerde, mshauri wa sera za bahari ya juu wa IUCN, aliambia BBC: ""Dugong ni mfano wa kusikitisha wa kile kinachotokea kwa mazingira ya baharini ambapo kuna uvamizi unaoongezeka wa shughuli za binadamu."""