The Corbett action plan for protected areas has identified Chagos as a priority area for the Indo-Malayan region. The only pressures come from fishing boats that are catching sharks for shark fin, and sea cucumbers. This level of fishing is not regarded as a major threat, but there is the possibility that cyanide fishing boats will target the area. Indian mainland Coral species recorded for all Indian reefs are 207 in 55 genera. Shallow, fringing coral reefs grow on a few widely scattered parts of the coast.
Massive sediment flows from large rivers inhibit reef growth in most areas.
In the northwest, the shallow Gulf of Kutch reefs have been heavily damaged by sediment input, sand dredging, and coral mining, and the reef area has declined from 117 km 2 in 1975 to 53 km 2 in 1985. There was a partial recovery of 28 km 2 in 1988, after laws to stop mangrove cutting and coral mining in the Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park were enforced. The long fringing reef off Palk Bay in the southeast has been badly damaged by sedimentation, pollution, coral mining, and intensive fishing. There are 65 coral species, and some dugong and turtles have been reported, but are under increasing threat. There are about 20 small islands and many reefs in the Gulf of Mannar, southwest of the Mandapam Peninsula and Rameswaram Island.