A new International Dugong Conservation Centre proposed for Thanjavur district is generating considerable alarm among both residents and environmental advocates. The primary concern stems from its planned location within a designated ‘No-Development Zone’ as defined by Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) regulations.
The Forest Department’s initiative envisions building this center in Sarabendrarajanpattinam village, Pattukottai taluk. This specific area falls under several CRZs, notably CRZ III, which strictly prohibits developmental activities.
Official documents submitted for the CRZ application detail a vast project spanning nearly 23,000 square meters. It aims to integrate both research and public engagement facilities, including an interpretation center, a marine museum, an open-air theater, a nutrition center, a children’s learning center, mangrove walkways, an eco-tower, a rehabilitation center, and an eco-hub. Strikingly, the main building is designed in the shape of a dugong.
Further plans include additional infrastructure such as a bridge, a gazebo, another eco-tower, and extensive pathways. An offshore platform is also proposed for dugong rehabilitation, complete with a feeding deck and anchoring systems.
Despite being presented as a conservation effort, the sheer scale and nature of the construction have ignited debates over its potential ecological footprint. Coastal activist K. Saravanan highlighted the irony of establishing a center for an endangered species in a seagrass-rich area, precisely where development is explicitly forbidden.
Many planned structures are situated within highly sensitive and protected habitats like seagrass beds, tidal rivers, and intertidal forests. These are zones where the CRZ Notification, 2011, permits very limited or no development. The project, as noted in its own documentation, will cause a permanent alteration to land use and topography in a coastal region vulnerable to cyclones and seasonal flooding.
K. Bharathi, a prominent fishing community leader from Chennai, formally urged the Director of Environment to reject the CRZ clearance. He argued that the project, rather than being a genuine conservation initiative, appears to be a tourism-driven venture that directly violates CRZ regulations.
An anonymous environmentalist echoed these sentiments, asserting that a concrete structure offers minimal benefit to dugongs, whose survival hinges on safeguarding their natural environment. The environmentalist stressed, “The construction is planned near a mangrove patch and a river mouth – areas explicitly protected by the CRZ Notification. Labeling it a ‘conservation effort’ does not magically make it permissible.”
In response, Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary to the Departments of Environment, Climate Change and Forests, emphasized the necessity of situating the conservation-cum-research center close to the dugong habitat to fulfill its objectives. She clarified, “There are no intentions to disturb the habitat or the dugongs themselves. For effective research and education, proximity to the habitat is crucial, otherwise, the project loses its purpose.” Sahu affirmed that the department would proceed only after securing all required clearances, with any special CRZ provisions subject to review and approval by the Government of India.