What has a paddle-shaped tail, a taste for seagrass, and a surprisingly big message for the future of Moreton Bay?
Today, Thursday 28 May, is World Dugong Day — a chance to celebrate one of Moreton Bay’s most iconic and much-loved marine animals.
Dugongs are gentle, distinctive and unmistakably connected to Queensland’s coastal waters. But they are more than a charismatic species. They are also a living reminder of what a healthy Bay needs: thriving seagrass meadows, cleaner water, protected coastal habitats and smarter planning across the catchment.
That is why the dugong is such a powerful symbol for the future of Moreton Bay.
As Brisbane looks toward the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, there is growing interest in the idea of the dugong becoming a symbol — perhaps even a mascot — for the Games. Not just because it is memorable and uniquely Queensland, but because it represents something much bigger: a healthy, living Bay.
For the Moreton Bay Foundation, Brisbane 2032 presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to think beyond stadiums, transport corridors and event infrastructure. It is a chance to ask a bigger question: what kind of environmental legacy do we want to leave?
The Foundation’s Blueprint for a Sustainable Moreton Bay for People and Nature 2025–2035 sets out a clear vision for a Bay that continues to support people, wildlife, culture and community. Moreton Bay is one of South East Queensland’s great natural assets — a place of seagrass meadows, mangroves, saltmarsh, wetlands, reefs, islands, beaches and open waters.
These habitats support dugongs, dolphins, turtles, shorebirds, fish, rays, sharks and countless other species. They also support recreation, fisheries, tourism, cultural connection and the lifestyle that makes this region special.
But the health of the Bay depends on what happens far beyond the shoreline.
TMBF’s sediment reports highlight one of the major pressures facing Moreton Bay: sediment washing from the catchments into rivers, creeks and eventually the Bay. Too much sediment clouds the water, reduces light, smothers sensitive habitats and affects the seagrass meadows that dugongs rely on.
For dugongs, this is very direct. Healthy dugongs need healthy seagrass. Healthy seagrass needs cleaner water. Cleaner water depends on better catchment care, restored wetlands, smarter development and long-term investment in the systems that keep sediment where it belongs.
That is why World Dugong Day is not just a wildlife celebration. It is a reminder that the future of Moreton Bay will be shaped by decisions being made now.
By 2032, South East Queensland has the chance to show the world what a real environmental legacy can look like: cleaner waterways, healthier seagrass meadows, restored coastal habitats, stronger protection for wildlife and a Bay that people can continue to enjoy responsibly.
A dugong would make a joyful and memorable symbol for Brisbane 2032. But the real goal is larger than a mascot.
The real legacy would be a Bay where dugongs still feed in healthy seagrass meadows, turtles nest on protected beaches, shorebirds find safe roosts, fisheries remain productive, and communities remain deeply connected to the water.
Moreton Bay should not be treated as just a scenic backdrop to the Games. It is part of the region’s identity.
And on World Dugong Day, the dugong gives us a simple but powerful challenge: if this is the animal we want to celebrate, then let’s also protect and restore the habitats that allow it to thrive
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