Context The Government of Tamil Nadu will set up India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in the Palk Bay Dugong.
About the Conservation Reserve
The Conservation Reserve will cover an area of 500kms.
The proposed conservation area has the highest concentration of dugongs in the country.
The reserve will span the northern part of the Palk Bay from Adirampattinam to Amapattinam.
AS part of the CAMPA-Dugong Recovery Project, various surveys were conducted in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar, from November 2016 to March 2019.
Gulf of Mannar is a shallow bay area between the south eastern end of Tamil Nadu and western Sri Lanka.
About Dugongs
The dugong , also called the sea cow, is a herbivorous mammal.
It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae.
The dugong is strictly a marine mammal.
They graze on seagrass and come to the surface to breathe.
They are found in over 30 countries and in India are seen in the Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kutch, Palk Bay, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
According to Wildlife Institute of India (WII) estimates, only 200-250 Dugongs are left in the wild, of which 150 are found in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu.
Threats:
The loss of seagrass habitats
water pollution
degradation of the coastal ecosystem due to developmental activities
accidental entanglement in fishing nets
collision with boats, trawlers.
Conservation status
IUCN- Vulnerable
CITES: Appendix I
Wild (Life) Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
The Government of India is also a signatory to the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) since 1983 where it has signed non-legally binding Memorandums of Understanding on the conservation and management of Siberian Cranes (1998), Marine Turtles (2007), Dugongs (2008) and Raptors (2016).
Proper conservation is the only way to save dugongs from extinction.
