₱14 million (about $220,000) for the bays where dugongs still graze: a Philippine university takes on marine protection

In Davao Oriental, on the Philippine island of Mindanao, the waters of Mayo and Pujada bays still hold dugongs — the gentle sea cows almost nobody ever sees — alongside marine turtles, dolphins and whales, coral reefs, seagrass meadows and mangroves. Davao Oriental State University has now secured ₱14 million (about $220,000) for a three-year project, running 2026 to 2028, to protect them properly: mapping habitats, assessing biodiversity, evaluating climate risks and building a network of marine protected areas, with local fishing communities involved from the start. Led by Dr Lea A. Jimenez with co-leader Amy G. Ponce, the project is part of a Global Environment Facility programme implemented by the environment department's Biodiversity Management Bureau with UNDP support; the agreement was signed on October 15. Dugongs survive in scattered pockets across the tropics, and every protected bay is a pocket that holds. For three years, these two bays get a university's full attention — science, maps and neighbours included.

SDG 14 · Life below water — Mechanism: funding & finance