Tamil Nadu Timeline

EnvironmentMGR era

Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park declared

· Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park

Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park declared
Ranveig, Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Twenty-one islets lying offshore between Thoothukudi and Dhanushkodi were designated the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park.

Lying between Sri Lanka and the southeastern shore of Tamil Nadu, the Gulf of Mannar supports more than 3,600 plant and animal species, among them coral reefs and the dugong. In 1986, 21 islets off the stretch of coast from Thoothukudi to Dhanushkodi, Anaipaar Island among them, were constituted as the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park. Mining for coral had harmed the reefs, and some islands had become smaller or gone under water; the practice was prohibited in 2005. In 1989 the park, together with its buffer zone, was named a biosphere reserve.

Related events

  1. 1967

    1. 1967Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird SanctuaryEnvironment

      Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary created

      To shelter blackbuck and vast flocks of waterbirds, a sanctuary was established at Point Calimere on the Palk Strait.

  2. 1980

    1. Oct 1980Pulicat LakeEnvironment

      Tamil Nadu part of Pulicat Lake declared a bird sanctuary

      The Tamil Nadu portion of the Pulicat lagoon in Tiruvallur district was declared a bird sanctuary in October 1980.

  3. 1985

    1. 1985VandalurEnvironment

      Madras zoo moves to Vandalur as Arignar Anna Zoological Park

      The Madras Zoo, founded in 1855, moved to a large new site at Vandalur as the Arignar Anna Zoological Park.

  4. 1986

    1. Sep 1986Nilgiris districtEnvironment

      Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve established, India's first

      India's first biosphere reserve was created from the Nilgiri hills and nearby forests, stretching across Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

  5. 1988

    1. 1988KalakkadEnvironment

      Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve created

      A tiger reserve was formed in the southern Western Ghats by joining the Kalakkad and Mundanthurai wildlife sanctuaries.

  6. 1989

    1. 1989RamanathapuramEnvironment

      Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve created

      The Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park and a 10 km buffer zone along the Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi coast were declared a biosphere reserve.

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