Dugongs

Why in news?

• Recently, Tamil Nadu government had declared 500 sq.km of the biodiversity-rich waters in the Palk Bay, on the southeast coast of Tamil Nadu, as India’s first dugong conservation reserve.

Dugongs:

• Dugong (Dugong dugon) also called ‘Sea Cow’
• It is the only existing species of herbivorous mammal that lives exclusively in the sea waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
• It is the flagship animal of Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park
• Once the female is pregnant, she will carry the unborn baby, called a foetus for 12-14 months before giving birth.
• Female dugongs give birth underwater to a single calf at three to seven-year intervals.
• Dugongs graze on seagrass, especially young shoots and roots in shallow coastal waters. They can consume up to 40 kilograms of seagrass in a day.
• They are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and are protected in India under Schedule I of the Wild (Life) Protection Act, 1972.
• According to a 2013 survey report of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), there were only about 200 dugongs in the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat.
• Dugongs are an important part of the marine ecosystem and their depletion will have effects all the way up the food chain. Proper conservation is the only way to save dugongs from extinction.

Threats:

• Dugongs graze on seagrass and the loss of seagrass beds due to ocean floor trawling is one of the most important factors behind decreasing dugong populations in many parts of the world.
  • Trawling is a method of fishing that involves pulling a fishing net through the water behind one or more boats. It is harmful to the environment because it damages the seafloor, coral reefs and other marine animals.
• Human activities such as the destruction and modification of habitat, pollution, rampant illegal fishing activities, vessel strikes, unsustainable hunting or poaching and unplanned tourism are the main threats to dugongs.
• Dugong meat is consumed under the wrong impression that it cools down human body temperature.

Steps Taken for Conservation:

• India has signed non-legally binding Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with UNEP’s Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) on the conservation and management of Dugongs.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change constituted a ‘Task Force for Conservation of Dugongs’ to look into issues related to conservation of dugongs and implementation of the ‘UNEP/CMS Dugong MoU’ in India.
• It also facilitates India to act as the leading nation in the South Asia Sub-region with respect to dugong conservation.

PRACTICE QUESTION

With reference to ‘dugong’, a mammal found in India, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. It is an herbivorous marine animal.

2. It is found along the entire coast of India

3. It is given legal protection under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 3 only

Answer