India’s dugong and seagrass habitats span Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar in the southeast, the Gulf of Kachchh in the northwest, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar contain extensive shallow-water meadows dominated by Cymodocea, Halodule, Halophila and Thalassia. The Gulf of Kachchh has smaller, more fragmented meadows shaped by its high tidal range and turbid waters, while the Andaman and Nicobar Islands support greater seagrass diversity across sheltered bays, lagoons and shallow coastal waters.5,6
These ecosystems support dugongs and other marine species but face pressures from coastal development, fishing, pollution and physical disturbance. Regional differences in seagrass distribution and condition highlight the need for conservation approaches suited to local ecological conditions.5,6
India has been a Party to the Convention on Migratory Species since 1983 and signed the CMS Dugong MOU on 28 May 2008. In 2022, it established the Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay, its first protected area specifically established for dugong conservation.1,8,15
DEEPAN RAJA .M / Wikimedia Commons, Rameshwaram beach, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Seagrass
India has 16 recorded seagrass species, with approximately 516.6 km² mapped nationally. Palk Bay contains the largest mapped extent at around 330 km², while the Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kachchh, Chilika Lagoon and Andaman and Nicobar Islands support additional meadows. Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar together support 14 species.5,6
Seagrass meadows support coastal fisheries and local livelihoods. Research across 40 Tamil Nadu fishing villages documented uses including livestock feed, fertiliser, food and traditional medicine, alongside their importance as habitat for marine species.11
These habitats face fishing, pollution and physical disturbance. In Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar, bottom trawling, shore seines, gill nets, anchoring, runoff and sediment disturbance can damage meadows or affect water quality. Cultivation of the introduced Kappaphycus alvarezii has also raised ecological concerns, although its spread onto reefs cannot be attributed simply to cultivation in Palk Bay.12,16 In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, experimental nutrient enrichment reduced seagrass longevity, meadow migration and associated biodiversity, while less than 20% of surveyed meadows were within marine protected areas.9,10
Dugong Population
India’s remaining dugongs are concentrated in Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar, the Gulf of Kachchh, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A 2025 aerial survey estimated 270 ± 16 dugongs in Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar, while the Gulf of Kachchh is thought to support only 10–15. The Andaman and Nicobar population has not been reliably quantified, but long-term surveys recorded a roughly 60% decline in occupancy across the islands.2,18
Historical observations also indicate a more widespread population: fishers in the Andaman Islands recall herds of 15–20 dugongs several decades ago, while such groups are now rarely encountered. Dugongs have also been part of longstanding relationships between island communities and the marine environment, including historical Indigenous hunting.2,3
Dugong habitat use varies seasonally. In Tamil Nadu, modelling indicates a shift in suitable habitat from northern Palk Bay before the monsoon towards the Gulf of Mannar afterwards, while in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands suitable habitat shifts between island groups. This seasonal movement highlights the importance of maintaining connectivity between feeding areas rather than protecting individual meadows in isolation..14
Current Threats
Fishing is a major pressure on India’s remaining dugongs. In Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar, more than half of suitable dugong habitat was classified as high risk from fishing-related pressures, including boat traffic, fishing gear and intensive fishing, with the entire Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park classified as high risk. Gill nets can entangle and drown dugongs, while trawling damages their seagrass habitat. In the Gulf of Kachchh, strandings have been linked to fisheries bycatch and ghost nets, and most suitable dugong habitat falls within areas of high anthropogenic risk.4,14
Pollution is also increasingly documented. Analysis of 46 dugongs stranded along the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar coast between 2018 and 2023 detected arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and mercury in tissues, with some metals increasing with age. Mercury was also detected in unborn calves, indicating maternal transfer of contaminants.13
Protection remains limited: only 5.5% of high-risk habitat in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, around 28% in Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar, and around 37% in the Gulf of Kachchh falls within protected areas. In Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar, approximately 1,709 km² of high-risk habitat remains outside the protected-area network.14
Photo: Vardhanjp / Wikimedia Commons, Dugong in Andaman Islands, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation Measures & Key Legislation
Dugongs receive the highest level of protection under India’s Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which places the species in Schedule I and prohibits hunting. India also signed the CMS Dugong MOU in 2008, providing a framework for national and regional cooperation on dugong and seagrass conservation.1,8
In 2022, Tamil Nadu established India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay, covering 448.34 km². The reserve protects an important area of dugong habitat and builds on a decade of monitoring and community-based conservation in the region.15,17
Current work is increasingly focused on making this protection effective in the long term. In 2025–26, the CMS Dugong MOU Coordinating Unit, Zoological Society of London and Wildlife Institute of India worked with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department and local conservation organisations to explore sustainable financing for the reserve, including opportunities linked to seagrass and blue carbon.3
Projects in India
Resources
Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). (2008). India Signs Dugong MOU. CMS Dugong MOU Secretariat.
D’Souza, E., Patankar, V., Arthur, R., Alcoverro, T. & Kelkar, N. (2013). Long-term occupancy trends in a data-poor dugong population in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. PLOS ONE, 8(10), e76181.
Dugong MOU Secretariat. (2026). Dugong Conservation Reserve Workshop Explores Sustainable Finance for Seagrass and Dugong Conservation in India. CMS Dugong MOU Secretariat.
Geevarghese, G.A., Akhil, B., Magesh, G., Krishnan, P., Purvaja, R. & Ramesh, R. (2018). A comprehensive geospatial assessment of seagrass distribution in India. Ocean & Coastal Management, 159, 16–25.
Gole, S., Prabakaran, N., Prajapati, S., Dudhat, S., Das, H., Kuppusamy, S. et al. (2024). Latitudinal variation in seagrass communities with special emphasis on post-tsunami status in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, India. PLOS ONE, 19(3), e0300654.
Gole, S., Prajapati, S., Prabakaran, N., Das, H., Kuppusamy, S. & Johnson, J.A. (2023). Spatial diversity and habitat characteristics of seagrass meadows with management recommendations in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Frontiers in Marine Science, 10, 1251887.
Government of India. (1972). The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. India Code.
Government of India, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. (2024). EnviStats India 2024: Environment Accounts, 7th Issue.
Hatkar, P., Patel, S., Pathan, S.V., Kuppusamy, S., Vachhrajani, K., Prabakaran, N. & Johnson, J.A. (2023). Review of stranding records of megaherbivore the Dugong (Dugong dugon, Müller, 1776) in the Gulf of Kutch, India – an implication to the conservation of marine mammals in Gujarat. Journal of Survey in Fisheries Sciences, 10(2), 62–77.
Vyacheslav Argenberg / Wikimedia Commons, Shaheed Island, Andamans, Mangrove beach, True wilderness, CC BY 4.0.