Johor Strait still a hotspot for dugongs despite traffic

Going strong: Scientists found that 65% of dugong observations in the last 25 years were in the eastern Johor Strait. — The Straits Times/ANN

DESPITE high shipping traffic and land reclamation works over the decades, the eastern end of the Johor Strait is still a hotspot for critically endangered dugongs in the region, a recent study has found.

Drawing on sightings of dugongs near Singapore over 200 years, the study by National University of Singapore scientists found that 65% of dugong observations in the last 25 years occurred in the eastern Johor Strait, one of the busiest shipping channels in the world.