Marine Protected Areas in India

India’s coastline stretches for 8118 km, covering an exclusive economic zone 2.02 million square kilometres of area. The continental shelf of India extends to 372,424 square km across 9 states and 7 union territories. As one of the 17 mega-biodiverse countries of the world, it faces unique challenges in protecting its biodiversity.

Marine Protected Areas in India are the area defined under IUCN Guidelines. They limit anthropogenic activities and exploitation of resources in these areas. The definition of Protected Area provided by IUCN has been broadly accepted across the world and is an important topic for the UPSC Geography Syllabus and topics related to the Environment.

In this article, we have provided a list of marine protected areas that include Marine Sanctuaries and National Parks in India that will be helpful in preparing for the IAS exam.

Candidates preparing for the IAS prelims must also familiarise themselves with the Places in News important from the UPSC exam perspective at the linked article. 

To know more about Geography, check out:

Marine Protected Areas in India (UPSC Notes):- Download PDF Here

List of Marine Protected Areas

The following is the list of marine protected areas in or near the mainland of India:

Aspirants can go through the following links for comprehensive preparation of the upcoming Civil Service Exam –

Marine Sanctuaries and Protected Areas in Island Territories of India

Recently, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has proposed to create a network of marine protected areas. In this scenario, an IAS aspirant should know what are marine protected areas and major marine protected areas in India.

For information about the Species in News for UPSC Prelims, candidates can visit the linked article.

A Marine Protected Area is a zone in the ocean or littoral area where anthropogenic activities are regulated more strictly than the surrounding waters. These places are given special protections for marine wildlife by the national, regional, state, and local authorities.

India’s biodiversity protection programs have been highly successful with 600 protected areas across 161,221 sq. km. Protected areas account for 4.9% of the country’s total geographical area.

Candidates can also get the check the links given below and get comprehensive details of the other important protected areas for wildlife conservations:

• List of National Parks in India
• List of Bird Sanctuaries in India
• List of Biosphere Reserves in India

Marine Protected Areas in India (UPSC Notes):- Download PDF Here