Answer: Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu
Notes: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has formally recognised India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay at the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 in Abu Dhabi. The reserve, established on 21st September 2022 under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, covers 448.34 sq. km in northern Palk Bay. It hosts 12,250 hectares of seagrass meadows, crucial for dugongs (Dugong dugon), listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
