Community interviews on the status of the dugong (Dugong dugon) in the Gulf of Mannar (India and Sri Lanka)

Abstract

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species lists the dugong (Dugong dugon) as vulnerable throughout its range (IUCN 2006). The Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait, located between northwest Sri Lanka and southeast India (Fig. 1) in the northern Indian Ocean, is known to be an area where dugongs were abundant historically (Haley 1883, Phillips 1927). Dugongs are presently considered endangered in both countries and are legally protected under the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance of Sri Lanka (1970) and theWildlife Protection Act of India (1972). Marine protected areas (MPAs) in both countries cover small parts of the known dugong habitat in the Gulf of Mannar, the Bar Reef Marine Sanctuary (306.7 km2 in extent) in Sri Lanka, and the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve (21 islands on the Indian side of the Gulf of Mannar) in India.