Final listing – Rulemaking Actions – dugon restored to Endangered Species Act Protection in Palau – Brief Article
Dugong (Dugong dugon) The dugong, a marine mammal somewhat resembling the manatee, was listed in 1970 as an endangered species throughout its range, which includes tropical and subtropical coastal and inland waters from eastern Africa to the Solomon Islands in the western Pacific. Habitat degradation and illegal hunting reduced the dugong to remnant populations.
Because of a technicality in the ESA, dugongs in the Republic of Palau, an island nation in the western Pacific, were dropped from the law’s coverage in 1988. On December 17, 2003, with the full support of the local government, ESA protection was once again extended to the small, vulnerable dugong population in Palau.
COPYRIGHT 2004 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
