Olvido

In the warm, blue waters of the Philippine archipelago—where sunlight dissolves into submerged meadows—I encountered an apparition. I named it Olvido, not for what it is, but for what the world has chosen to forget: a dugong(Dugong dugon), the last great marine herbivore of the Dugongidae family and a close relative of the manatee.

This ancient and enigmatic creature has glided through the oceans for over 50 million years. And yet today, it teeters on the brink of extinction. Functionally extinct in China since 2008, the dugong has vanished quietly from much of its historical range across the Indian Ocean and western Pacific. Its decline is driven by widespread habitat destruction—particularly of seagrass beds—illegal hunting for its meat, and collisions with boats and fishing gear.

Dugongs can weigh up to 400 kilograms and reach lengths of three meters. They feed almost exclusively on seagrasses, consuming over 30 kilograms a day, making them a keystone species in maintaining the health of coastal marine ecosystems. Their presence signifies balance; their absence leaves a quiet void in the sea.

Finding one in the Philippines—one of the last strongholds for the species in Southeast Asia—was like discovering a living word in a forgotten language. Its slow, ceremonial movement through beds of Halophila and Thalassia reminds us that life still hides in the folds of silence and time.

Olvido is more than an individual—it is a symbol and a warning. It stands for what we can still protect, if we act with urgency. This photographic series is a testimony to its existence and its resilience. It is also a call to restore our ecological memory of the sea.