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Socio-Ecological System (SES) approach is being employed for more than 20 years to conserve coastal wetlands. It has been observed through literature study that the institutional mechanism used as SES approach for conserving coastal wetlands influences various dimensions of Sense of Place (SoP). This ‘influence’ on SoP many a time adversely affect the performances of projects. The paper investigates the impact of changes in SES variables on SoP components due to institutional mechanism adopted for conserving the Pulicat Lagoon, located in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The SES framework is used for identifying and analysing the responsible SES variable influencing changes in the SoP. A qualitative approach is adopted, to gain insight into an understudied phenomenon by using a semi-structured interview for the selected participants through purposive sampling (n = 30). Grounded theory was used to arrive at categories from thematic analysis of transcripted data. The data interpreted resulted in contextualizing the core phenomenon for theory generation. The findings reveal that socio-political dimension has a major role in instigating conflicts between Pulicat lagoon management (CRZ authorities and TN Forest Department) and coastal communities over resource ownership, recognition of their land rights and lacking participation towards conservation. In essence, the qualitative study reveals that communities reflect a deep association with the lagoon, which contributes significantly to their sense of belonging. Thus, result advocate for a strong involvement and integration of SoP values for effective place-based conservation.