NSW.Biodiversity<p>Dugong life near a big city</p><p>They "found heavy metals, pesticides, microplastics and herbicides in the tissue and circulating blood of Moreton Bay dugongs. Extreme weather can compound these urban risks.</p><p>"We know that with every flood event or cyclone there's direct damage to seagrass beds. Even if there is enough seagrass to eat, dugongs are still affected. They show increased levels of heavy metals, pathogens and microplastics after floods, and "there is a drop in body condition compared to that time in other years."</p><p>"...This population may be faring better than those further north. They're exposed to agricultural runoff, which could severely affect the dugongs".<br>&gt;&gt;<br><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2025-08-12/dugongs-moreton-bay-species-marine-science-conservation/105449400" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">abc.net.au/news/science/2025-0</span><span class="invisible">8-12/dugongs-moreton-bay-species-marine-science-conservation/105449400</span></a><br><a href="https://theblower.au/tags/MarineMammals" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MarineMammals</span></a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/dugongs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>dugongs</span></a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/seagrass" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>seagrass</span></a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/ocean" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ocean</span></a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/pesticides" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>pesticides</span></a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/herbicide" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>herbicide</span></a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/runoff" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>runoff</span></a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/floods" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>floods</span></a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/MoretonBay" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MoretonBay</span></a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/GBR" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>GBR</span></a> <a href="https://theblower.au/tags/GoFetchMyData" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>GoFetchMyData</span></a></p>