47 News: A Kyodo helicopter team filmed a Okinawa dugong swimming 2 miles from Henoko Beach on June 17 as destruction begins. The sea mammal is at an extremely high risk of extinction. Mariko Abe, chief of the Nature Conservation Society of Japan protection department who is familiar with the ecosystem of Henoko said, this is undoubtedly a dugong after viewing the image. The dugong was seen floating for about 10 minutes before it submerged into the sea. [Background: The Nature Conservation Society of Japan reported in July that it had found more than 110 locations around the site of the proposed construction where dugongs had fed on seagrass this year. The Sea of Henoko has the largest & best feeding grounds for the critically endangered sea mammal. There are seagrass beds at the sea adjacent to Henoko, to the north, at the Sea of Kayo, but the beds are small, & would not be able to sustain even the tiny population of remaining dugong. Since 1955, the dugong has been protected as a cultural monument by the autonomous Ryukyu Prefecture, due largely to its status as a revered and sacred animal among native Okinawans. Since 1972, the species has also been listed by Japans federal government as a natural monument under the countrys Cultural Properties Protection Law. It is also protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In 2004, the US environmental law firm, Earthjustice, on behalf of Okinawan, Japanese, U.S. environment protection groups, & Okinawan residents filed a federal lawsuit, the Okinawa Dugong versus Rumsfeld, in San Francisco, asking for protection for the dugong. The case is still open; after a 2008 ruling that the defendants must negotiate with the plaintiffs regarding environmental issues and protection of dugong habitat. The plaintiffs are still waiting for this discussion. Therefore on July 31, 2014, Earthjustice filed a new lawsuit in the same court, asking the US government to halt construction plans. 47news.jp/smp/CN/201408/CN2014081701001592.html
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 11:57:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015