Dr. Nicolas Pilcher, Executive Director of MRF, was appointed a Technical Advisor to the CMS-UNEP Dugong MoU Secretariat to assist with issues relating to bycatch of dugongs, overlaps with fishery pressures, and implementing global yet locally-scaled conservation and management projects. Since that time, Dr. Pilcher has assisted with the development, funding and implementation of the ~6m USD GEF-funded Dugong & Seagrass Conservation Project (DCSP); has coordinated the development of the CMS-UNEP Dugong Catch & Bycatch Questionnaire, which has been implemented across more than 20 countries and amassed over 10,000 responses; and has assisted with the development of the ~5m EUR IKI seagrass and dugong project.
Through these initiatives, Dr. Pilcher has led training workshops in Thailand, Australia, India, the UAE and Vanuatu on the implementation of the Dugong Questionnaire, has given several lectures and presentations on dugong conservation and management on behalf of the Secretariat, notably in the UAE, in Sri Lanka, India, and in Malaysia. Dr. Pilcher continues to act in an advisory and technical capacity and MRF has accommodated a number of dugong conservation-related initiatives led by the CMS-UNEP Dugong MoU Secretariat.
