At a Glance
Four numbers behind India’s coral story.
4 zones
Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Mannar, Lakshadweep, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
177 species
Recorded corals in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India’s richest zone.
37% to 27.3%
Live coral cover in the Gulf of Mannar between 2005 and 2021.
2024
All four reef zones bleached together, pointing to a shared cause.
In this lesson
India’s Four Reef Zones
What a reef is, and where India’s four are
- A coral reef isn’t a rock. Millions of tiny animals called polyps build it. They live stacked together in colonies.
- India has four major reef regions. They are the Gulf of Kutch, the Gulf of Mannar, Lakshadweep, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- The Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay) has no coral reefs. Its muddy, silt-laden waters don’t support coral growth.
- The Gulf of Mannar became India’s first Marine Biosphere Reserve in 1989. It holds coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves together.
- The Andaman and Nicobar Islands hold India’s richest coral diversity, with 177 recorded species. They also have India’s largest reef area.
- Rising sea temperatures cause bleaching. Stressed corals expel their colour-giving algae. Major events hit India in 1998, 2010, 2016, and 2024.
True or False: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands hold India’s richest coral diversity, with 177 recorded coral species.
True or False: The Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay) is one of India’s four major coral reef regions.
True or False: The Gulf of Mannar became India’s first Marine Biosphere Reserve in 1989.
Reef Decline, and the Dugong
Falling coral cover, a new institute, and the sea cow
- Live coral cover in the Gulf of Mannar fell from 37% to 27.3% between 2005 and 2021. A 2020 marine heatwave alone bleached 85% of its corals.
- Lakshadweep’s coral cover dropped by roughly half between 1998 and 2022. Repeated bleaching tied to El Niño-linked warming mainly drove this.
- India is building its first National Coral Reef Research Institute in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is budgeted at ₹120 crore.
- INCOIS issues coral bleaching alerts. NCSCM and the Zoological Survey of India handle long-term reef monitoring and research.
- Marine biologists now tie fragments of healthy coral onto underwater frames. It is slow work, trying to rebuild what warming oceans keep destroying.
- The dugong is a herbivorous marine mammal. It is the only one found in Indian waters. It grazes on seagrass beds, so it is called the “sea cow”.
- Dugongs are not found along the entire Indian coast. Their range is fragmented. It covers the Gulf of Kutch, the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- The dugong is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. That is the same top tier as the tiger.
- A Dugong Conservation Reserve was set up in 2022 in Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu. It protects about 448.34 sq km of seagrass habitat across Thanjavur and Pudukkottai districts.
True or False: Lakshadweep’s coral cover dropped by roughly half between 1998 and 2022.
True or False: India’s planned National Coral Reef Research Institute is budgeted at ₹120 crore.
True or False: The dugong is found along the entire coast of India.
Previous Year Questions
A trap examiners keep returning to: the dugong is a Schedule I herbivore, but it does not live along the whole coast.
- CSP 2015Three statements on the dugong. Statements 1 and 3 are correct: it is a herbivorous marine animal, and it is in Schedule I. Statement 2 is false because its range is fragmented. View this question on the full 2015 paper.
- NDA 2017Asked which regions hold major Indian coral reefs. The answer is all four: Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Mannar, Lakshadweep, and Andaman & Nicobar. View this question on the full 2017 paper.
- CDS-II 2022Asked which region holds India’s largest reef area. The answer is the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, ahead of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Lakshadweep. View this question on the full 2022 paper.
- CAPF 2020Asked which claimed reef benefit is NOT real. The answer is “they protect communities from earthquakes”. Reefs give jobs, building material, and storm protection. View this question on the full 2020 paper.
True or False: According to CAPF 2020, coral reefs protect coastal communities from earthquakes.
Why Protection Alone Isn’t Enough
A shared cause, and outsized importance
- All four reef zones bleached together in 2024. That points to a shared regional cause, rising sea-surface temperature. It does not point to any single local threat.
- The Gulf of Mannar’s early protection in 1989 didn’t stop its decline. Protected status alone hasn’t been enough against a warming ocean.
- Reefs cover a tiny fraction of the ocean floor. Yet they support a disproportionate share of marine life. Losing them threatens fisheries and coastal protection far beyond the reef.
- A dedicated national research institute signals how seriously decline is now treated. That is a stronger commitment than folding coral work into a general marine-biology mandate.
True or False: The Dugong Conservation Reserve, set up in Palk Bay in 2022, protects about 448 sq km of seagrass habitat.
Think it through: why does it matter that all four reef zones bleached in the same year, 2024?
One reef bleaching could point to a local problem, like pollution or overfishing at that site. All four bleaching together, across different coasts, points to a shared regional cause: rising sea-surface temperature. No amount of local protection status can fix that on its own.
Quick Q&A
Which are India’s four coral reef regions?
Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Mannar, Lakshadweep, and Andaman & Nicobar.
Which region has the richest coral diversity?
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with 177 species.
Why doesn’t the Gulf of Khambhat have reefs?
Its muddy, silt-laden water doesn’t support coral growth.
Under which Act is the dugong protected?
Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
What did the 2024 bleaching across all four zones suggest?
A shared cause: rising sea-surface temperature.
🎲 Practice: Coral Reefs in India
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