CHENNAI: The state government's effort to conserve Dugong in Palk Bay has received global spotlight as the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 has recognised the initiative through an online voting.

In a social media post, Chief Minister MK Stalin said that a resolution has been adopted by the IUCN Congress to laud the government's declaration of India's first Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay covering Thanjavur and Pudukottai districts.

Meanwhile, Supriya Sahu, secretary of the Environment, Climate Change and Forest department, expressed that the recognition is a historic moment for the state Forest Department.

The state government issued an order to notify the Dugong Conservation Reserve under the leadership of Chief Minister MK Stalin. “This global recognition spotlights the declaration of a 448.34 sq km reserve as a critical step towards marine biodiversity conservation in South Asia and an exemplary model for dugong conservation globally. The resolution urges replicating this community-led model across the Indian Ocean,” she said in a post on X.

Under the initiative, the forest department has initiated measures to construct the International Dugong Conservation Centre at Manora in Thanjavur.