June 23, 2026

Coral Reef Restoration in Tamil Nadu, India: Guidelines for Practitioners

Tamil Nadu has abundant and diverse coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay that provide livelihood to thousands of coastal communities, apart from playing other important ecological roles. The reefs in Tamil Nadu have declined over the years due to several climatic and non-climatic factors. The Government of Tamil Nadu has been proactive in restoring the lost/degraded coral reefs to sustain the benefits.

Coral restoration in India was first implemented in Tamil Nadu through a three-year research project funded by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India in the early 2000s with the participation of Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute (SDMRI) in association with Tamil Nadu Forest Department.

Based on several initial experiments and the experience gained, a novel low-tech and low-cost restoration method was developed, which is feasible for restoring corals in the degraded reef areas of Tamil Nadu. The State’s coral restoration efforts, following substantially improved protocols based on field experience and expertise, carried out during the past two decades and more, have yielded significant results.

Clear step-by-step descriptions of the method have been compiled and presented as a publication “Coral Reef Restoration in Tamil Nadu, India: Guidelines for Practitioners”. It was brought out by Tamil Nadu Forest Department, Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, and Tamil Nadu Coastal Restoration Mission of Government of Tamil Nadu in partnership with SDMRI, Tuticorin.