Using a two-way knowledge exchange to illuminate the population dynamics of the dugong in the Gulf of Carpentaria
Role
Supervisor
Description
Dugongs are marine mammals with immense ecological and cultural significance, occurring in 40 countries in the Indo-Pacific. They are gardeners of seagrass beds and a major component of Indigenous culture. Their reliance on shallow seagrass beds exposes them to anthropogenic threats, e.g. pollution and boat disturbance. Dugongs are in decline in most of their range and are classified as vulnerable to extinction, with the populations in Australia representing a stronghold with an estimated 165,000 animals. My PhD project will use next-generation sequencing methods to assess genetic diversity, connectivity and health of dugongs in Australia, with a special focus on the remote and little-studied dugong populations in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Indigenous Traditional Owners in remote northern Australia, such as the Kimberley region, have recently listed the genetic health and connectivity of dugongs as a top priority in their wildlife management plans. Within the next year, I am planning to actively travel to remote locations to give in-person workshops on tissue sampling of dugongs, starting a collaboration with Indigenous communities and rangers. I will then return to the same communities with my results, fostering a two-way knowledge exchange that encourages effective dugong conservation management and collaboration between different sea countries in Australia. As my PhD projects rely heavily on the retrieval of high-quality DNA, this hands-on approach is necessary to ensure proper handling of samples. During the first year, I will focus on collecting as many dugong samples as possible to ensure that all populations are well-represented and we can determine fine-scale population structure in Australian dugongs. At the end of my PhD, I will be able to assess important conservation parameters such as level of inbreeding, population fragmentation and migration along the entire Australian coast.
Date
01 Jul 2024 - 30 Jun 2025
Project Type
GRANT
Keywords
genetics;population genomics;marine mammal;conservation
Funding Body
Ecological Society of Australia
Amount
8495
Project Team
Eva Paulus;Christophe Cleguer;Ira Cooke;Jan Strugnell