Dugong redux

In a treble delight, Tamil Nadu has recorded a emergence successful the colonisation of dugongs, a regionally endangered species, and the State’s efforts to support the oversea mammals that were erstwhile connected the brink of extinction person won planetary designation arsenic a model. A multi-pronged conservation effort by the government, supported by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), focusing connected prevention of poaching, rescue and release, assemblage engagement and situation restoration, has contributed to the betterment of the mammals successful the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar (the PB-GoM region) on the Tamil Nadu coast.

Commonly known arsenic oversea cows, dugongs (Dugong dugon) are often referred to arsenic the “farmers oregon gardeners of the sea” for their important relation successful preserving the coastal ecosystems and aiding food production. Growing up to 3 metres agelong and weighing implicit 400 kg, these gentle giants are recovered successful lukewarm waters on coastlines, chiefly confined to seagrass beds which hap successful calm sheltered habitats specified arsenic bays and lagoons. They are recovered successful the Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Bay, the Gulf of Kutch and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands successful India. Dugongs are chiefly herbivorous, grazing connected 30 kg-40 kg of seagrass a day.

The taxon is listed arsenic Vulnerable to Extinction connected the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Once abundant successful Indian waters, dugongs are protected nether Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. But their colonisation was connected the diminution implicit the past respective decades owing to a assortment of factors, including hunting for meat, commercialized sportfishing practices starring to accidental drowning, and situation degradation.

In a large measurement to support the species, the government, successful September 2022, notified 448.34 quadrate kilometres successful the bluish Palk Bay arsenic a Dugong Conservation Reserve, nether the Wild Life (Protection) Act. The portion is location to implicit 12,250 hectares of seagrass meadows, a captious feeding crushed for dugongs.

IUCN recognition

Last week, the IUCN formally adopted a question recognising India’s archetypal Dugong Conservation Reserve successful the Palk Bay dispersed implicit Thanjavur and Pudukkottai districts. The motion, projected by the OMCAR (Organisation for Marine Conservation, Awareness and Research) Foundation, a non-profit progressive successful the conservation efforts, was adopted astatine the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 successful Abu Dhabi, with overwhelming enactment from members worldwide successful online voting. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin took to X to denote it and admit the Tamil Nadu Forest Department and conservation partners for their efforts successful securing the recognition.

The question recognised and appreciated the constitution of the reserve arsenic a “critical measurement towards marine biodiversity conservation successful South Asia and an exemplary exemplary for dugong conservation globally”. It besides welcomed the innovative eco-friendly restoration techniques, which impact the usage of bamboo frames, to beforehand seagrass situation recovery.

The designation came arsenic the icing connected the barroom arsenic a caller survey carried retired by the WII had pointed to a emergence successful the colonisation of dugongs in the PB-GoM region, the astir important among the 3 habitats of the mammals successful India. The drone survey, conducted betwixt March and May this twelvemonth by the WII, has estimated that the portion is present location to much than 200 dugongs.

“We person completed the drone survey, with a standardised technique, covering the Palk Bay country from Adhirampattinam to Ammapattinam, the dugong conservation reserve area, too the Southern Palk Bay portion successful Ramanathapuram division and the Gulf of Mannar. The estimation points to a dugong population of much than 200 successful this portion alone; the nonstop fig is apt to beryllium higher. The findings volition beryllium published soon,” J.A. Johnson, elder scientist, WII, told The Hindu. According to him, the state was estimated to person astir 250 dugongs in the 3 habitats successful 2012-13. Given the immense seagrass meadows here, the Tamil Nadu seashore ever had the largest population.

India is believed to person had a ample dugong population 70-80 years ago, but a batch of them were hunted for nutrient down the years earlier they came to beryllium legally protected, says K. Sivakumar, erstwhile Chief Scientist, WII, presently a prof successful the Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences of the Pondicherry University. “There were nary nonstop sightings of the carnal by researchers aft the 1970s. In the aboriginal 2000s, we thought it could person go extinct and successful 2008, I projected a study,” helium recalls. Subsequently, the Central authorities constituted a Task Force for Conservation of Dugongs in India, and a nationalist dugong recovery programme was launched successful concern with the governments of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were already carrying retired conservation efforts. The inaugural was besides funded by the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Poaching checked

“The archetypal measurement was to halt poaching. Thanks to the consciousness measures, poaching has astir been eliminated now, though instances of dugongs getting caught successful sportfishing nets and drowning [dugongs must aboveground often to breathe] are being reported sporadically. But fishers are voluntarily rescuing the animals trapped arsenic bycatch. I estimation determination would beryllium 200 to 300 dugongs here now, acknowledgment to the conservation efforts,” Dr. Sivakumar adds.

“The conservation efforts person decidedly contributed to the accrued number. The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has been proactive and the engagement of section communities and the NGOs is besides commendable. The notification of the reserve was a large measurement arsenic it presented a batch of challenges,” said Dr. Johnson.

“The dugong’s return shows however authorities action, subject and communities tin unneurotic publication a uncommon taxon revival,” said Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests, Tamil Nadu, successful a station connected X. Speaking to The Hindu, she attributed the occurrence of the conservation efforts to the beardown governmental will, bureaucratic commitment, and fantabulous execution strategy successful the State. “The actions initiated implicit the past 4 years are portion of a larger imaginativeness of the State authorities — that conservation has to beryllium a priority. Every taxon is important and it is simply a bequest we are creating for the adjacent generation. It is simply a precise beardown conservation pitch,” she said.

The State, she said, had gone astir dugong conservation successful a precise systematic way. “We started with a batch of research, technological evidence, and data. The taxon is highly endangered and if we had not provided ineligible protection, they could person go extinct,” she said, terming the notification of the reserve arsenic a beardown ineligible and revolutionary enactment taken by the State.

This, she said, was backed by measures aimed astatine situation restoration, and involving the section communities to marque fisherfolk the archetypal responders successful rescue efforts. “Dugongs are important successful protecting the coastal ecosystem. Habitat restoration is precise important; if the habitats disappear, the taxon disappears. So we partnered with the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, the Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute and section NGOs, specified arsenic OMCAR Foundation, to execute our strategy, including seagrass restoration,” she said. Initially, the activities were taken up nether the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-supported Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project for Climate Change Response and different projects. Now, the initiatives are supported nether the Tamil Nadu Coastal Restoration Mission (TN-SHORE) too.

Since assemblage information is precise important for sustainable conservation, astir 150 consciousness programmes person been conducted among fisherfolk and self-help radical members to sensitise them to the value of dugong conservation and however to rescue them erstwhile they get entangled successful sportfishing nets. Thanks to the programmes, 9 rescues person been carried retired successful the past 2 years. “We are besides compensating the fishermen for the nonaccomplishment of nets which are chopped during rescue. We besides recognise fishers for specified acts of stewardship done a reward programme. The government, the section communities, probe institutions, and NGOs person each rallied astir dugongs,” Ms. Sahu affirmed.

“The outreach programmes were portion of a strategy to thrust location the connection to the coastal villagers that extortion of dugongs and their habitats would beryllium beneficial to the fishermen successful the agelong run,” said a Forest Department authoritative successful Pudukkottai.

As portion of the outreach, a assistance programme was introduced for the children of fisherfolk arsenic a socio-economic survey indicated a precocious dropout complaint among schoolhouse students successful the coastal villages. “We called them dugong ambassadors and reached the fishers done them towards bringing astir a alteration successful mindset,” says Dr. Sivakumar.

Alongside sensitisation programmes, the Forest Department successful Pudukkottai and Thanjavur had taken up the task of restoring seagrass meadows with the engagement of OMCAR Foundation. “Restoration is simply a laborious workout and takes time; we are involving fishermen not lone successful rescue and merchandise of dugongs but besides successful restoration,” said V. Balaji, Director, OMCAR Foundation. The restoration was carried retired astatine sites selected based connected drone imagery successful the Dugong Conservation Reserve successful the Palk Bay. In Pudukkottai district, it covered 1,000 quadrate metres to found seagrass patches successful 10 antithetic sites by utilizing eco-friendly bamboo frames and coir ropes.

Biodegradable materials were utilized to guarantee sustainable restoration without causing immoderate harm to the earthy situation beneath the sea, said the official. Involving section fisherfolk, steadfast seagrass sprigs of Syringodium isoetifolium, Cymodocea serrulata and Halodule pinifolia were transplanted cautiously successful the designated country successful the sea. A akin inaugural connected 1,000 quadrate metres was taken up on the coastal regions of Valluvanpattinam and Somanathapattinam in Thanjavur district, the authoritative said. “Over the past 4 years, we person restored 31 acres of seagrass situation nether assorted projects, including TN-SHORE,” Ms. Sahu said.

Conservation Centre

The State had besides decided to acceptable up an International Dugong  Conservation Centre astatine Manora, a fashionable picnic spot on the Palk Bay. “This volition beryllium a unsocial centre with respective elements. It volition springiness a further propulsion to raising consciousness and support the taxon successful absorption truthful that it rallies everyone. The centre volition beryllium a hub of accusation and activity, for researchers and students. It volition besides beryllium an eco-tourism site. The tendering process is nether way, and we are evaluating the bids,” she said.

Despite the occurrence of the efforts, experts accidental determination is inactive overmuch enactment to beryllium done. “Seagrass beds are often damaged by the usage of resistance nets utilized by state boats and the question of boats, too different factors. We proceed to sensitise fishermen to specified issues,” said Dr. Balaji. Experts besides emphasise the request for stronger determination cooperation, particularly with Sri Lanka, arsenic dugongs travel agelong distances and determination to the Sri Lankan shores from the Tamil Nadu coastline. Underlining the value of sustaining the conservation efforts, Dr. Sivakumar said, “Now that we person started seeing the results, we should not fto them spell to waste.”