In the year 2011, the Ministry of Environment and Forests approved a programme for the recovery of dugongs in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago that was funded by the Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS). The programme, structured in two phases, was designed as a needs-based approach to dugong conservation in the archipelago and was led by the Department of Environment and Forests, Port Blair. Phase I was based largely on addressing the most urgent knowledge gaps as a necessary precursor to developing a comprehensive conservation strategy for the species across the archipelago. Based on the information gathered in this phase, Phase II would identify clear points of management intervention, establish a monitoring programme for the species and its habitat, and help further clarify aspects of the species biology, behaviour and ecology that would be critical for its rational conservation.
Recovery of Dugong dugon of the Andaman and Nicobar islands
Project Ended