Swim to safety: on the dugong and conservation

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Once wide crossed the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay, the Gulf of Kutch and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India’s dugongs dwindled to a fewer 100 individuals arsenic poaching, by-catch, situation nonaccomplishment and contamination compounded the animals’ dilatory complaint of reproduction. But, successful the past decade, a bid of initiatives person signalled a serious, if inactive inchoate, effort to reverse this decline. The astir disposable measurement was the notification of the Dugong Conservation Reserve successful Palk Bay successful 2022 nether the Wildlife (Protection) Act. Protecting implicit 12,000 hectares of seagrass meadows, it has go a exemplary of integrated marine conservation. Tamil Nadu’s stewardship, bolstered by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and section assemblage participation, has mitigated poaching and encouraged fishers to merchandise dugongs caught arsenic by-catch. Now, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has recognised the reserve arsenic an exemplar, lauding its ecological value and innovative restoration techniques. WII surveys suggest that the colonisation present numbers implicit 200, fragile but encouraging advancement from the fearfulness of extinction voiced 2 decades ago. India has besides experimented with technologies that widen conservation options, which see drone platforms and acoustic and satellite-based mapping of seagrass beds.

Yet, overmuch remains to beryllium done. Even successful the reserve, mechanised fishing, larboard construction, dredging and contamination from agriculture and manufacture endanger seagrass meadows. Dugongs proceed to dice successful sportfishing nets. Rising oversea temperatures, acidification and storms endanger restoration gains. Populations successful Gujarat and the Andamans are besides smaller and little protected than successful Tamil Nadu. Experts person stressed the value of cross-border collaboration, peculiarly with Sri Lanka, since dugongs traverse the constrictive Palk Strait. Without shared protection, the betterment volition stay local. Funding, too, has been inconsistent: portion allocations from the compensatory afforestation money person helped, the agelong gestation of dugong populations requires decades of dependable investment. These efforts and shortcomings clasp broader lessons for the conservation of different marine taxon that request intact ecosystems portion being straight threatened by quality activity. The Palk Bay reserve demonstrates that assemblage engagement with fishers arsenic partners tin mitigate by-catch and make section constituencies for conservation. The IUCN designation underscores however planetary endorsement tin amplify home efforts, offering legitimacy and opportunities for cognition exchange. Likewise, blending accepted ecological cognition with technologies specified arsenic drones and echosounders shows however conservation tin span contented with modernity.