A Collaborative , Consultative and Committed Approach to Effective Management of Dugongs In

The world’s largest known population of dugongs in Torres Strait, Australia, supports an important subsistence fishery by the traditional inhabitants, Torres Strait Islanders, in the region. I obtained updated information on the life history and reproductive ecology of dugongs based on collecting specimens and data from dugongs harvested for food by Islanders. Information on life history parameters will help management efforts to ensure the sustainability of the traditional fishery. Data and specimens for the study were obtained over two years (19981999) when I resided in Mabuiag Island, one of the major hunting communities. The collecting regime was developed within a sampling protocol that was continually negotiated with active participation by community members, especially the hunters. The contribution of hunters in terms of both information and co-operation in specimen collection has been central to the successful collection of data and specimens essential for my research. Hunter knowledge of the spatial and temporal patterns of dugong distribution has provided important insights to annual variability in catch rates and has supplemented information on reproduction such as habitat use by breeding animals. Being able to live and work within the Mabuiag Island community presented a rare opportunity to build upon the mutual trust, cooperation and commitment by both communities and scientist. The involvement of Islanders as active participants in research, and acknowledgement of the diversity and complexity of socio-cultural factors within the community, has enabled collection of very rare and valuable specimens. Moreover, an individual and community sense of ownership of the research indicates high potential to considerably improve community based management strategies for dugong in Torres Strait. INTRODUCTION The dugong (Dugong dugong) is a large marine mammal that reaches a length of 3 m and weighs up to 420 kg. It has high biodiversity value as the only extant species of the Dugongidae family and as the only herbivorous mammal that is strictly marine (see Marsh et al. 2001). The dugong is listed in The World Conservation Union Red Data Book of Threatened Species as ‘Vulnerable to Extinction’ (IUCN 2000) and also in Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), which regulates trade in listed species. In Australia, the dugong is included as a ‘Listed Migratory Species’ and ‘Listed Marine Species’ under the Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Throughout its Australian range, the dugong is also protected under relevant state/territory legislation. In Queensland, the dugong is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. As large non-aggressive herbivores, dugongs have been hunted for food, clothing and other products by many coastal societies throughout their range (e.g. Reynolds and Odell 1991; Marsh et al. 2001; Rogan et al. in press). Anecdotal reports suggest that dugongs were once a very important subsistence resource in many countries in the Indian sub-continent and islands, South East Asia, East Africa, Western Pacific and the South Pacific (Marsh and Lefebvre 1994; Marsh et al. 2001). Where dugongs were used for subsistence they were also of major economic and cultural significance (see Marsh et al. 2001; Rogan et al. in press). With the growth of human populations, subsistence hunting of dugongs has probably contributed to the extirpation or severe depletion of local populations in several parts of their former range (Marsh and Lefebvre 1994; Marsh et al. 2001). Today Australia is one of the only countries that has large populations of dugongs and is considered the dugong’s stronghold (see Marsh et al. 2001). It is believed that the global survival of the dugong will be largely dependent upon Australian efforts (Bertram 1980; Marsh et al. 1999; Marsh et al. 2001). Dugongs are of great cultural, nutritional and socio-economic value to coastal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of tropical Australia (Smith and Marsh 1990; Johannes and MacFarlane 1991; Bradley 1997). Globally, the largest population of dugongs is in Torres Strait (Figure 1) (Marsh et al. 1997; 2001) where the long-standing subsistence importance of Page 313, Kwan: Effective Management of Dugongs in Torres Strait dugongs for Torres Strait Islanders has been traced back at least 2000 years in archaeological deposits (Vanderwal 1973). In spite of 200 years of profound external influences since contact with Europeans, access to large numbers of dugongs (and green turtles) has enabled Torres Strait Islanders to maintain much of their traditional way of life (Nietschmann and Nietschmann 1981; Nietschmann 1984, 1989). In addition to being an important source of fresh meat, dugongs also continue to sustain vital cultural practices, ceremonial feasting and rites of passage (Nietschmann 1984, 1989; Mulrennan and Scott 2001). This importance continues even though most basic necessities are now provided by a cash economy, based largely on government funding through employment opportunities or social security (see Kwan et al. 2001). The Torres Strait Treaty, an international agreement between Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG), protects the traditional way of life of Torres Strait Islanders including their right to hunt dugongs (see Kwan et al. 2001). The recent recognition of the potential for Native Title rights over the sea and the active pursuit for selfdetermination by Torres Strait Islanders as well as responsibility for biodiversity conservation means that Australia has considerable responsibility for dugong conservation (see Kwan 2001). There is mounting national and international pressure to ensure that the subsistence consumption of a globally threatened species, especially the dugong, is sustainable in Torres Strait. Concerns about the sustainability of harvests and the need to reconcile management intervention with the socio-political and cultural needs of Torres Strait Islanders, should the harvest prove unsustainable, have become a priority for managers (Marsh 1996; Marsh et al. 1997). However, this debate has not been informed by information on the cultural, social, economic and environmental variables that determine hunting pressure and the dugong catch. Such information is crucial to the development of effective co-management strategies. A community-based management approach should be a major priority for government management agencies particularly as Torres Strait Islanders are demanding greater political and economic autonomy including their right to hunt and manage their marine resources, including dugongs (Kwan et al. 2001). Figure 1. The Torres Strait region showing the boundary of the Torres Strait Protected Zone and the main communities in the Inner, Western, Central and Eastern Islands groups. This paper describes how my research was conducted as a process of negotiation with Torres Strait Islander hunters (Figure 2). This process was central to the development of trust between the hunters and myself as a scientist. Such a collaborative and consultative approach provided a rare opportunity to obtain information based on both empirical data and the social context of dugong hunting that will Sustainable Community Based Management of Dugongs Traditional Hunter Knowledge Western Scientific Knowledge Trust Respect Ownership Consultation Collaboration Commitment Research as a Process Figure 2. Conceptual diagram showing how the research process which obtained knowledge and established a relationship between hunters and the scientist, can contribute to effective management of a sustainable dugong fishery in Torres Strait. Putting Fishers’ Knowledge to Work– Conference Proceedings, Page 314 assist in community based management efforts. The approach highlights the importance of hunter’s and scientific knowledge in contributing to our knowledge base to ensure the sustainability of the dugong fishery in Torres Strait by providing insights into dugong movements. This commitment to a sustainable dugong fishery will require integration of scientific frameworks and Torres Strait Islander cultural, social, economic and political perspectives. A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO FIELDWORK: ESTABLISHING RELATIONSHIPS FOR THE