Conservation Laws, Policies and Schemes for Marine Wildlife in India

India possesses a coastline extending over 7,516 kilometers, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) spanning 2.02 million square kilometers, and diverse marine ecosystems including coral reefs, mangroves, estuaries, and seagrass beds. These habitats support over 17,000 marine species, including threatened megafauna like dugongs, marine turtles, whale sharks, and cetaceans. Safeguarding this biodiversity relies on a framework of statutory laws, policy guidelines, protected area networks, and centrally funded conservation schemes.

Statutory and Constitutional Framework

Constitutional provisions and central legislations establish legal mechanisms to prevent illegal harvesting, habitat degradation, and trade of marine species.

Constitutional Mandates

• Article 48A: Directs the State to protect and improve the environment and safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.
• Article 51A(g): Imposes a fundamental duty on every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife.
• Seventh Schedule Allocation: Wildlife protection falls under Entry 17B of the Concurrent List (List III), while fisheries within territorial waters fall under Entry 21 of the State List (List II). Maritime zones beyond territorial waters fall under Entry 57 of the Union List (List I).

Key Central Acts Governing Marine Wildlife

• Wild Life (Protection) Act (WLPA), 1972: Apex legislation classifying marine species under protected schedules. Schedule I offers the highest degree of legal protection against hunting, capture, or trade. The 2022 amendment aligned domestic law with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
• Environment (Protection) Act (EPA), 1986: Provides the legal basis for the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notifications, which regulate developmental activities along the coastline to prevent marine pollution and habitat destruction.
• Biological Diversity Act, 2002: Regulates access to marine biological resources and ensures equitable sharing of benefits arising from their commercial utilization through the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA).
• Maritime Zones Act, 1976: Defines India’s territorial waters (12 nautical miles), contiguous zone (24 nautical miles), and EEZ (200 nautical miles), asserting sovereign rights over living and non-living marine resources.
• Marine Fishing Regulation Acts (MFRAs): Enacted by individual coastal states to regulate fishing vessels, mesh sizes, closed fishing seasons, and reserved zones for traditional fishers within territorial waters.

Key Protected Marine Species under WLPA

The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 accords maximum legal protection to vulnerable and endangered marine fauna.

Protected Area Networks and Coastal Zoning

India conserves marine biodiversity using spatially defined Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and regulatory coastal zones.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

• Categories: MPAs are designated as National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Community Reserves, or Conservation Reserves under the WLPA.
• Category I MPAs: National parks and sanctuaries located entirely in marine or intertidal environments (e.g., Marine National Park in Gulf of Kutch, Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park in Andamans).
• Category II MPAs: Protected areas with significant marine or estuarine components (e.g., Sundarbans National Park, Bhitarkanika National Park, Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary).

Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Framework

• CRZ-I A (Ecologically Sensitive Areas): Includes mangroves, corals, salt marshes, turtle nesting grounds, and seagrass beds where commercial construction is prohibited.
• CRZ-I B (Intertidal Zone): Area between Low Tide Line (LTL) and High Tide Line (HTL).
• Island Coastal Regulation Zone (ICRZ): Governs development and conservation across the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep archipelagos.

Schemes, National Action Plans and Interventions

Centrally sponsored schemes and dedicated species recovery programs target critical marine habitats.

Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH)

• Species Recovery Programme: Includes dedicated funding components for critical marine species including the Dugong, Whale Shark, and Marine Turtles.
• Dugong Conservation: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) established India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu.

National Strategy for Marine Turtle Conservation

• Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs): State fisheries departments mandate the installation of TEDs in mechanized trawl nets to allow captured sea turtles to escape unharmed.
• Mass Nesting Protection: Operation Olivia, conducted annually by the Indian Coast Guard along the Odisha coast, protects mass nesting (arribada) sites of Olive Ridley turtles at Gahirmatha and Rushikulya river mouths.

Coastal and Marine Resource Schemes

• Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY): Implemented by the Department of Fisheries, promoting sustainable fishing, open-sea cage culture, artificial reefs, and alternative livelihoods to reduce pressure on wild marine stocks.
• MISHTI Scheme (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes): Promotes mangrove afforestation along the coastline through convergence between MGNREGS, CAMPA funds, and private partnerships.

International Conventions Ratified by India

• CITES (1976): Controls international trade in endangered marine species, listing species like sea horses, giant clams, and sea cucumbers under strict trade restrictions.
• CMS / Bonn Convention (1983): India signed non-binding Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) under CMS for the conservation of Dugongs, Marine Turtles, and Migratory Sharks.
• Ramsar Convention (1982): Protects coastal wetlands of international importance, including Chilika Lake, Point Calimere, Sundarbans, and Ashtamudi Wetland.
• CBD (1994): Convention on Biological Diversity under which India identifies Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs).

Core Marine Conservation Facts

• First Marine National Park: Marine National Park in the Gulf of Kutch, Gujarat, established in 1982.
• Largest Marine Sanctuary: Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in Odisha, recognized as the world’s largest nesting site for Olive Ridley turtles.
• First Dugong Reserve: Declared in Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu, covering over 448 square kilometers.
• Sea Cucumber Legal Protection: Listed under Schedule I of WLPA in 2001; Lakshadweep established the world’s first sea cucumber conservation reserve (Dr. KK Mohammed Koya Sea Cucumber Conservation Reserve).
• Annual Fishing Ban: A mandatory 61-day uniform monsoon fishing ban is enforced along the East and West coasts of India to allow fish stocks and marine fauna to reproduce.
• Whale Shark Conservation Project: Launched in Gujarat in 2004 by WTI and Gujarat Forest Department, turning fishermen from hunters into guardians using self-documentation compensation models.
• Cold-Water Corals Location: Found in deep-water marine zones off the Andaman and Lakshadweep slopes.
• Blue Flag Certification: Managed by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), recognizing eco-friendly beaches adhering to strict marine waste and safety standards.
• CAMPA Allocation: Coastal States utilize Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds for mangrove restoration and marine biodiversity projects.