Tamil Nadu on Wednesday notified the country’s first ‘Dugong Conservation Reserve’ in Palk Bay covering the coastal waters of Thanjavur and Pudukottai districts with an area of 448 square kilometers.
“We have scripted history and this is yet another milestone in conservation history of Tamil Nadu. The notification is a very proud moment for TN Forest Department and conservationists across the globe,” said Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests.
Dugongs are the largest herbivorous marine mammals in the world thriving primarily on seagrass beds, a major carbon sink of the oceans. Dugongs are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. However, their population is on the decline due to habitat loss.
