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A new report released at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on October 12, 2025, has painted a grim picture of dugongs or sea cows in India.
According to the report, the long-term survival of dugongs in the Gulf of Kutch and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the long term is highly uncertain or challenging. The population of the sea mammals in the Gulf of Mannar–Palk Bay region is also much lower than what it was in the recent past.
“The Gulf of Kutch supports an isolated, resident dugong population. The limited extent of the potential seagrass habitat means it is only able to support a relatively small dugong population, a situation which makes the prospects for their longtime survival there highly uncertain,” A global assessment of dugong status and conservation needs noted.
The southern Gulf of Kutch has been identified as an Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA) with the dugong listed as a qualifying species, according to the assessment.
It added that, “The Andaman and Nicobar Islands support an isolated, resident dugong population. The limited extent of shallow coastal water around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands means that these archipelagos can support only a relatively small dugong population, a situation that makes their survival there very challenging for conservation managers.”
The ‘Southern Andaman Islands’ have been identified as an IMMA with dugongs as a qualifying species.
Given the small sizes of dugong populations in both the Gulf of Kutch and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, it may be effective and efficient to develop and implement conservation arrangements for marine megafauna, rather than dugongs per se, the report recommended.
Meanwhile, the transboundary Gulf of Mannar–Palk Bay region is the most important habitat for seagrasses and dugongs in South Asia.
“The ‘Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar’ region has been identified as an IMMA, with the dugong as the only qualifying species. The establishment of a dugong conservation reserve along part of the Tamil Nadu coast is a welcome first step towards dugong conservation in this region,” stated the report.
Currently the Gulf of Mannar–Palk Bay region supports what appears to be a much lower number of dugongs than in the recent past, it added.
“Procedures need to be developed to enhance the governance arrangements for this region including a focus on community participation in conservation and management. Targeted research is required to improve the management of dugong populations and their habitat (seagrass communities) in this region, with emphasis on reducing the impacts of fisheries, climate change and other threats on dugong populations and their habitats.
“Dugongs in the Gulf of Mannar–Palk Bay region may also face increased development pressures if India and Sri Lanka are connected by infrastructure across Palk Strait and/or if the petroleum and natural gas are exploited within the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve,” the analysis warned.
It recommended that dugongs in both the Gulf of Kutch and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands likely qualify for separate IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ‘subpopulation’ assessments.
“Robust quantitative information on the size of the Gulf of Mannar–Palk Bay region dugong population would be essential for an IUCN Red List of Threatened Species ‘subpopulation’ assessment of the dugong population in this region,” it noted.
In the rest of South Asia, dugongs may also occur in some Sri Lankan coastal waters outside the Gulf of Mannar–Palk Bay region.
No dugongs or seagrasses have been recorded in Pakistan. It is uncertain whether Bangladesh supports a resident dugong population. There is no evidence that dugongs ever occurred in the Laccadive (Lakshadweep) Islands (India) or in the Maldives, as per the report.
“Research is required to determine if dugongs are resident: (1) along the Chittagong coast of Bangladesh and, (2) in Sri Lanka outside the northwestern region,” it said.
The report was launched by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). It offers the most comprehensive global update on the status and conservation needs of dugongs in over two decades.
Dugongs are seagrass-grazing marine mammals, closely related to manatees.
The report draws on contributions from over 70 scientists and experts. It presents a sobering picture of dugong populations worldwide, while identifying opportunities for targeted conservation action.
“The dugong’s global status is “vulnerable to extinction”, with significant regional variation. Populations are relatively secure in Australia and the Persian Gulf, but critically endangered or extinct in Eastern Africa, East Asia and several offshore island territories,” according to the report.
Only two locations in Asia are confirmed to host populations exceeding 100 individuals.