A number of key decisions were taken by the Government of Maharashtra’s Environment Department on July 26 as part of the International Day for Conservation of Mangroves.
Among the notable announcements was the decision to declare Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) as a Ramsar site. This would be the first such site in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). TCFS is spread across 1,690.5 hectares of space.
Also read - Maharashtra’s Lonar Lake Is Now A Designated ‘Ramsar Site’
The state further decided to institute a task force to identify a new list of wetlands in Maharashtra. The State Environment Department also shared a roadmap for the conservation and rejuvenation of wetlands and mangroves across the state.
The Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Mangrove Cell, Virendra Tiwari said, “A proposal to declare Thane creek as a Ramsar site has been submitted and we are working on it with the Maharashtra Environment department.”
The Mangrove Cell is now awaiting approval by the State Wetland Authority which is led by Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray. “Following this, it can be sent to the central government,” Tiwari said.
Areas identified as Ramsar sites are protected under the Ramsar Convention, a treaty signed by multiple countries for international cooperation towards the conservation of wetlands.
Read - Destruction Of Wetlands Have Forced Flamingos To Feed Within Smaller Pockets
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