The Dugong Research Strategy for the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and Hervey
Bay (Oliver & Berkelmans 1999) arose in response to a request by senior officers of the
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
(GBRMPA), and the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (QDPIF), on
22 August 1997. This request was for a report on proposals for monitoring trends in dugong
populations and habitats, and to propose performance standards and priority data needs
