# Negotiating extirpation: On the political implications of declaring dugongs extinct in Okinawan waters

## TL;DR

A scientific claim of dugong extinction in Okinawa sparked controversy due to its political implications and potential impact on conservation.

## Contribution

The paper highlights how extinction claims are intertwined with political contexts, particularly in conservation and environmental policy.

## Key findings

- Declaring dugongs extinct in Okinawa was contested due to evidence of feeding trails and ongoing sightings.
- The involvement of authors in a military base project raised concerns about bias in the extinction claim.
- The dugong's symbolic status in local folklore and anti-base movements complicates its conservation and political significance.

## Abstract

In 2021, scientists published a preprint stating that the dugong population of Okinawa had declined below the minimum viable population and should be considered extinct. The publication led to an outcry amongst Japanese/Okinawan environmentalists and to criticism by international dugong specialists. Two issues were raised: 1) Declaring dugongs extinct, although feeding trails were found in several locations, misrepresented the reality in Okinawan waters, and could have negative impacts on conservation measures; 2) Three authors were sitting on the Environmental Monitoring Committee for a controversial military base construction project in an area where dugongs were frequently spotted before construction commenced. The presence/absence of dugongs at the site had become a political issue, as the animal’s protected status and its depiction in folklore gave it symbolic meaning in the anti-base movement. The declaration of dugong extinction reminded protesters of a former Environmental Impact Assessment conducted by Japan’s Ministry of Defence, declaring the site to be no relevant dugong habitat. The paper explores the implications of the preprint for the political situation in Okinawa and questions the certainty of dugong extirpation in the region. It argues that speculations about extinction cannot be divorced from the political contexts to which they are invariably tied.