The Lakshadweep group of islands, one of the most biologically diverse and fragile environments in India, is under pressure from population, urbanisation, development of tourism, unregulated construction, pollution, and land use changes.

A study on the state of the environment of the union territory, conducted by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), has found that rising sea level and climate change are as much of a threat as human activities to the archipelago comprising corals, lagoons, sea grass, beaches, and sand dunes.