Basten Gokkon – A rare sighting of a baby dugong off Alor in East Nusa Tenggara has sparked renewed attention to the importance of protecting Indonesia's seagrass ecosystems and marine wildlife.
A short video was released Oct. 10 by the environmental foundation WWF-Indonesia showing the first documented appearance of a baby dugong (Dugong dugon) in the waters of Alor's Mali Beach, where conservationists have conducted monitoring since 2016. The calf was observed swimming alongside two adult dugongs, known as Mawar (male) and Melati (female), by a member of the Kabola Fishermen Communication Forum.
"I had seen the dugong calf before, but it usually avoided boats along with Melati, unlike Mawar," Onesimus La'a, the chairman of the forum, said in a statement.
Dugongs, close relatives of manatees, are the world's only marine mammals that feed solely on seagrass. Their global numbers have declined sharply due to hunting and the loss of seagrass habitats. With slow reproductive rates – year-long pregnancies and extended calf care – they face mounting survival pressures. Listed as globally vulnerable by the IUCN, their conservation status varies by region and can be far more critical in some areas.
"The presence of two other dugongs besides Mawar proves that the seagrass ecosystem at Mali Beach, Alor, has the ecological qualities to provide habitat and food sources for dugongs," Ranny R. Yunenin, the national coordinator for the protected and endangered marine species program at WWF-Indonesia, said in the statement.
Ranny said her office would partner with government agencies and local communities to conduct a marine mammal survey in Alor this year. The survey will monitor dugongs, dolphins and whales to strengthen habitat management by linking population and behavioral data with seagrass conditions, she added.
Seagrass conservation in Alor involves collaboration between WWF-Indonesia and the regional marine park management under the East Nusa Tenggara Marine and Fisheries Agency. A 2024 survey found the meadows in Mali Beach to be dense and healthy, with 73-76% cover and eight recorded seagrass species, including Halophila ovalis, known as paddle weed or dugong grass.
"If seagrass rehabilitation is needed, our group is ready to help," Onesimus said.
The documented appearance of a juvenile dugong in Alor wasn't a surprise to Sekar Mira, a marine mammal researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), who was involved in the allocation of four priority locations for the dugong as mandated in the Dugong and Seagrass Conservation Project in 2016.
"I'm happy to hear about the dugong calf sighting because dugongs are species sensitive to environmental conditions, so the appearance of a calf can indicate two things: that the environment supports them living there – in terms of water parameters, the cleanliness of the waters, and the habitat's food carrying capacity," Sekar told Mongabay in an interview.
"More importantly, the calf's presence suggests they feel safe there; perhaps after years of Mawar interacting with people he no longer perceives a threat," she added.
Strandings, bycatch and occasional consumption, such as a documented case in Maluku, remain persistent threats to dugong populations in Indonesia even though the species is protected by the Conservation Act. Meanwhile, seagrass meadows in the archipelagic country have been lost to climate change, pollution, coastal development and invasive species.
"Actually, population numbers for marine mammals, not just dugongs, remain a large knowledge gap in Indonesia," Sekar said. "Because we lack a good census or adequate monitoring to answer population size, and we can see threats still exist, when we assess the trend, we tend to answer 'declining,' even if not dramatically."
Sekar said Indonesian marine mammal authorities and experts are trying to address the absence of reliable population data in the country's drafted 2025-29 National Action Plan specific for dugong conservation. She said the plan will standardize monitoring methods across communities, researchers and NGOs, turning scattered sighting records into usable population estimates. Sekar added that experts expect the action plan's ratification will create a clear, coordinated framework that sets priorities, allocates roles and strengthens conservation efforts nationwide.
"If it's delayed, there will be overlapping activities among stakeholders, and limited resources may be used inefficiently because we don't know which dugongs or areas are prioritized," Sekar said.
Marine mammal experts are also concerned about the growing tourism activities around dugong habitats, which could exacerbate stressing the animals and damaging seagrass ecosystems. They say sustainable tourism will depend on clear carrying capacity rules, regulated boat traffic and a strict code of conduct to keep interactions safe and nonintrusive.
"This includes regulating the number of boats, their speed and observation ethics, all of which must be enforced with discipline," Ranny said.
Sekar noted that dugongs could be considered an umbrella or flagship species, as protecting them also protects seagrass habitats that sustain fisheries, store carbon and support marine biodiversity. She said the long-term payoff of dugong and seagrass integrated conservation goes beyond ecological benefits, offering economic opportunities through eco-friendly tourism and stronger community stewardship of the sea.
"Aligning perceptions and understanding that this animal is important in the ecosystem must continue to be promoted because Indonesia is very large," Sekar said. "Next, we must involve communities and be inclusive in program planning so stakeholders feel this is a shared responsibility."
Citation
Plon, S., Thakur, V., Parr, L., & Lavery, S. D. (2019). Phylogeography of the dugong (Dugong dugon) based on historical samples identifies vulnerable Indian Ocean populations. PLOS ONE, 14(9), e0219350. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0219350
[Basten Gokkon is a senior staff writer for Indonesia at Mongabay. Find him on Twitter @bgokkon.]