As the Indian Dugongs decreased to several hundred individuals, as they decreased to several hundred individuals, such as several hundred individuals, as they reduced the slow rate of animal reproduction, decreased to several hundred individuals as soon as they reduced to several hundred individuals, Pank Bay, Palk Bay Islands. In the last decade, however, a number of initiatives have signaled a serious, albeit still inchoate, efforts to reverse this decline. The most visible step was to announce the reservation of Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay in 2022 under the Wild Game Act (protection). The protection of over 12,000 hectares of seaweed Louk has become a model of integrated marine protection. Stewardship Tamil Nadu, reinforced by the Indian Institute for Wilderness (Wii) and the participation of the local community, alleviated poaching and encouraged fishermen to release Dugongs captured like escape. The International Union for Nature Conservation has now acknowledged the reserve as an example and praised its ecological significance and innovative renewal techniques. Wii surveys suggest that the population counts more than 200, fragile but encouraging progress of fear of extinction two decades ago. India also experimented with technologies that expand the possibilities of protection that include drones and acoustic and satellite mapping of seaweed beds.
Still, it remains. Even in reserve, mechanized fishing, the construction of the harbor, dredging and pollution by agriculture and industry threatens seaweed meadows. Dugongs continue to die in fishing networks. Increasing sea temperatures, acidification and storms threaten renewal gains. Populations in Gujarate and Andamani are also less and less protected than in Tamil Nadu. Experts emphasized the importance of cross -border cooperation, especially with Sri Lanka, because Dugongs are going through the narrow pen of Strait. Without shared protection, the recovery will remain local. Also financing was inconsistent: while the allocation from the compensatory wooding fund helped, long pregnancy by Dugong population requires decades of stable investment. These efforts and shortcomings organize wider lessons to protect other types of marine species that require intact ecosystems, directly endangered by human activity. Reserve Palk Bay Reserve shows that community engagement with Fishers as partners can mitigate the by -escape and create local election districts for protection. IUCN recognizes how international approval can amplify domestic efforts, offer legitimacy and opportunities to exchange knowledge. Similarly, mixing traditional environmental knowledge with technologies such as drones and echosounders shows how protection can bridge tradition with modernity.
Published – 1 October 2025 12:10 AM IS
