Project Lawud was chosen for the Seed Prize under the Iris Project 2025 last September 17. The project aims to conserve the declining population of dugongs in the Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape, Philippines. In line with Project Lawud’s objective to empower youth through environmental initiatives by training them and providing hands-on experience, a selection criterion has been created to identify individuals who demonstrate genuine interest, ensuring that program resources are utilized effectively.
As our data gathering is just around the corner, we are gearing up with knowledge from the capacity building that was provided and will be provided by the Iris Project to us, which makes the team very grateful. With the full support and positive response from the people around us, especially the communities we are working with, we can ensure that this project will go smoothly. The communities that we have visited are very welcoming and show positive resolve toward these initiatives, as they have learned how important the dugong is to the ecosystem and how it affects their lives and livelihoods. That motivates us to continue working passionately, as we feel their genuine support and they lend a hand to us with their local knowledge.
Last January 19, 2026, while our team was visiting Barangay Gumasa, Municipality of Glan, Sarangani Province, we happened to fly a drone for site visitation, and we were very happy to record two dugongs swimming. That was our first time seeing one through our own efforts, and we are truly thrilled and ecstatic about our future data gathering in the
coming months.
Aside from recording dugongs with our drone, we are also happy with how Sarbay-anihan 2026 went, which was held last January 3 of this year. Sarbay-anihan is a collaboration among Project Lawud, Mangrove Matters PH, and Kidlikasan. We met many enthusiastic young environmental advocates and had fun activities and discussions about how rich Sarangani Bay is and the organisms that can be found in our very own bay. This year is full of excitement as we are now preparing for our capacity building to take place in Malaysia. We are really looking forward to learning more about dugong ecology,
how to properly maneuver a drone, mapping, and much more.
Every dugong sighting, every shared story from the community, and every skill gained reminds us that conservation is not a solitary effort but a collective journey.
As we step into the coming months with strengthened knowledge, deeper partnerships, and unwavering passion, we carry with us the responsibility to protect Sarangani Bay and the life it sustains. This is only the beginning, and with unity, dedication, and trust in one another, we are ready to safeguard the future of dugongs together.
