Project
No.

Project Title

Funding needed

Performance indicator

Comments

Priority: 1 — High

1

Long-term trends in dugong numbers — Great Barrier Reef-wide

$160 000 over 2 years, or
$224 000 over 2 years

6, 7

Undertaken routinely every 5 years between Cape York and Hervey Bay, funded by Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

2

Productivity of key seagrass species of importance to dugongs, at selected locations within the Great Barrier Reef

$690 300 over
4 years

8

3

Negotiated protocol for the use of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge to complement scientific knowledge on the distribution, abundance, movement, ecology and management practices of dugongs in the Great Barrier Reef

$295 000 over
1 year

6, 7

Project should be Great Barrier Reef-wide. Partially addressed in Hopevale area through ARCSPIRT/PEW Fellowship project commenced in 1999. Part of Sea Forum Regional Agreement process.

4

Improving estimates of absolute abundance of dugongs

$160 000 over 2–3 years

6, 7

Commenced as a component of ACR SPIRT/PEW Fellowship project in 1999.

5

Research for the management of seagrass resources in the Dugong Protection Areas of the Great Barrier Reef region

$1.4 million over 4 years

8

Amalgamation of four projects originally proposed. Baseline surveys of seagrass beds in Mackay area DPAs to commence in 1999.

Priority: 1.5 — High (after revision)

6

Dugong strandings: causes of mortality

$22 000 per year

1

Project should be re-written.
Project must be done in association with population biologist or not at all.

Priority: 2 — Medium

7

Using microsatellite markers to study dugong phylogeography

$85 000 over
3 years, or
$120 000 over 2 years

7

Subject of ARC SPIRT application for funding for commencement in 2000.