沖縄のジュゴン、絶滅危機　最新レッドリストで評価―ＩＵＣＮ

　国際自然保護連合（ＩＵＣＮ）は１１日までに、絶滅の恐れがある野生動物を掲載した「レッドリスト」を更新し、沖縄の近海に生息するジュゴンを絶滅危険性の最も高い「絶滅危惧ＩＡ類」に指定した。個体数が１０頭以下となり、減少傾向にあると警告している。
　レッドリストは、個体数回復に向けて懸念されることにも言及。米軍普天間飛行場（沖縄県宜野湾市）の名護市辺野古移設工事を挙げ、「藻場の損失が、深刻な障害になる恐れがある」と指摘した。（2019/12/11-21:47）

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has updated its Red List of Threatened Species, designating the dugong in waters off the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa in the "critically endangered" category.
   The organization warned that the number of dugongs off Okinawa has fallen to 10 or less and is in decline. The "critically endangered" category is the highest among the IUCN's five categories reflecting the degree of extinction risk.
   The IUCN also cited the threat to the marine mammal posed by construction work related to the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma air base to the Henoko coastal area in Nago in Okinawa from its current site in Ginowan in the island prefecture.
   "The loss and damage to these seagrass beds (near the construction site) is likely to be a serious impediment to the recovery of the dugong population in Okinawa," it said. The construction project involves landfill work off Henoko.
   Investigations by the Japanese Defense Ministry's Okinawa Defense Bureau had previously confirmed three dugongs near the main island of Okinawa. However, one of them was found dead in March this year, while the other two have not been seen since September 2018.