Answer

Introduction

Despite progress in Tamil Nadu’s Palk Bay Dugong Conservation Reserve, India’s dugongs remain few and scattered, facing bycatch, seagrass loss, pollution, and climate stress across Palk Bay, Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kutch, and Andaman–Nicobar, requiring protection and community-led management.

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Major challenges faced by dugong conservation in India

• Seagrass Loss: Seagrass meadows, which is dugongs’ sole food are degrading from coastal development and sedimentation, reducing carrying capacity.
  Eg: Palk Bay contains 12,250 ha seagrass, but meadows face decline from coastal pressures.
• Fishing Entanglement: Dugongs get accidentally caught in gillnets and trawl gear, causing injury and mortality across key habitats.
• Vessel Strikes: Increasing boat traffic in shallow feeding grounds leads to collisions, injuring or killing slow-moving dugongs.
  Eg: Spatial threat-mapping shows high vessel density overlaps dugong hotspots in Gulf of Mannar.
• Pollution & Bioaccumulation: Industrial runoff and heavy metals accumulate in seagrass and dugong tissues, causing physiological and reproductive risks.
  Eg: WII study found toxic metals (mercury, lead) in dugong tissues from Tamil Nadu coast.
• Small, Fragmented Population: Fewer than ~250 dugongs remain in Indian waters; small population suffers genetic risks and low recovery rates.
  Eg: Government estimate cited about 240 dugongs concentrated in Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar.
• Cross-border & Enforcement Gaps: Dugongs move across India–Sri Lanka waters; inconsistent enforcement and poaching risk undermines protection.

Suitable strategies to address them

• Seagrass Protection & Restoration: Designate no-damage zones, restore beds using eco-friendly frames, and monitor habitat health regularly.
  Eg: Palk Bay reserve protects 448 sq km with active seagrass restoration pilots.
• Sustainable Fisheries Management: Ban gillnets/trawling in dugong feeding grounds; promote selective gear and community co-management of fisheries.
  Eg: National Action Plan recommends gear restrictions and fisher engagement in Gulf of Mannar (Dugong Action Plan).
• Vessel Speed & Routing: Implement speed limits and designated boat corridors to reduce collision risk in shallow seagrass zones.
• Pollution Control & Monitoring: Strengthen coastal pollution controls, monitor heavy metals, and curb agricultural/industrial runoff into seagrass areas.
• Community Engagement & Livelihoods: Incentivise fishers with alternative livelihoods, participatory monitoring, and payment-for-conservation schemes.
• Research, Monitoring & Cross-border Cooperation: Expand aerial/boat surveys, satellite tagging, genetics studies and coordinate with Sri Lanka for region-wide management.
  Eg: IUCN recognition urged transboundary efforts and improved monitoring of Palk Bay reserve.

Conclusion 

Safeguarding dugongs is more than species protection. It secures blue carbon ecosystems, strengthens fisher resilience, and aligns India’s biodiversity goals with global commitments like the Kunming–Montreal framework, ensuring ecological security and climate adaptation for coastal communities.

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