About India’s Dugong Conservation Reserve:
- It is located in the Palk Bay.
- It is India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve.
- It was established in 2022 by the Tamil Nadu government under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972,
- It is home to seagrass meadows, vital feeding grounds for dugongs (Dugong dugon).
- Seagrasses also support a host of other marine species, making the reserve ecologically significant.
Key Facts about Dugong
- Dugongs (Dugong dugon) are the only herbivorous mammals found in India’s marine ecosystems.
- Appearance: It is known as the sea cow, but resembles a cross between a seal and a whale, and is distributed through the Indo-Pacific region.
- Distribution: It is found along the Indian coastline, primarily inhabiting warm waters around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay, and the Gulf of Kutch. The dugong is a long-lived species, able to live up to 70 years.
- Habitat: Dugongs are restricted to shallow waters, where they spend the day feeding on seagrasses.
- Reproduction of Dugong
- Individuals reach reproductive maturity after only nine or ten years and can give birth at intervals of around three to five years.
- Due to its slow reproductive cycle, extended time to maturity, and infrequent calving, a dugong population’s maximum potential growth rate is estimated to be just about 5% per year.
- Conservation status of Dugong
- IUCN: Vulnerable
- CITES: Appendix I
- Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Schedule I.
