India's first dugong conservation reserve

In news– 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 one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees.
- It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae.
- The dugong is the only sirenian in its range.
- Dugongs are cousins of manatees and share a similar plump appearance, but have a dolphin fluke-like tail.
- And unlike manatees, which use freshwater areas, the dugong is strictly a marine mammal.
- They can grow upto three meters long, weigh about 300 kilograms, and live for about 65 to 70 years, grazing on seagrass and coming 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 and degradation of the coastal ecosystem due to developmental activities have made life tough for these slow-moving animals.
Dugongs are also victims of accidental entanglement in fishing nets and collision with boats, trawlers.

Conservation status

Dugongs are listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which prohibits the trade of the species and its parts.