Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has brought Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) located in Maharashtra under the spotlight by designating it as an Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ). The purpose of an ESZ is to serve as a protective buffer that mitigates developmental pressures around wildlife sanctuaries or national parks.
About the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary
Coming next only to Malvan sanctuary, TCFS stands as Maharashtra’s second marine sanctuary, and its location is on the western bank of Thane Creek. The Bombay Natural History Society recognizes it as an “Important Bird Area”. Home to rich biodiversity, it accommodates 39 mangrove species categories, 167 bird species such as flamingos, 45 fish species, 59 kinds of butterflies, and 67 insect species. It also hosts mammals like jackals among others.
The Thane Creek
Thane Creek, an inlet off the Arabian Sea shoreline, serves as a geographical paintbrush separating the city of Mumbai from the rest of India. It’s split into two segments: Ghodbunder-Thane and Thane-Trombay (Uran). The creek owes its existence to seismic faults lying below it, stretching from Uran to Thane.
Other Protected Areas of Maharashtra
Maharashtra proudly houses various other protected areas including Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, Bor Wildlife Sanctuary, Umed Paoni Kardhandla WS, Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, Melghat Tiger Reserve, and Navegaon National Park.
Eco Sensitive Zones: A Close Look
Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) also dubbed as Ecologically Fragile Areas, refer to areas spanning a 10 km radius around Protected Areas, National Parks, and Wildlife Sanctuaries. For places with delicate corridors and ecologically crucial patches vital for landscape linkage, areas exceeding the 10 km limit can also be incorporated into the ESZ. These zones are notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under the guidelines of the Environment Protection Act, 1986. The objective is to regulate certain activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries to minimise their detrimental impacts on the fragile ecosystems enveloping these protected regions.
Regulation of Activities in ESZs
In ESZs, certain activities are strictly forbidden such as commercial mining, saw mills, industries causing pollution (air, water, soil, noise), establishment of significant hydroelectric projects, commercial utilization of wood, tourism activities like hot-air balloons over the National Park, and discharge of effluents or any solid waste or production of hazardous substances. On the other hand, some activities are regulated, like felling of trees, setting up of hotels and resorts, commercial usage of natural water, erecting electrical cables, dramatic alterations of agricultural system, or widening of roads.
Permitted Activities: A Greener Approach
Activities that are permissible within ESZs include ongoing agricultural or horticultural practices, rainwater harvesting, organic farming, usage of renewable energy resources, and adoption of green technology for all processes.
The Significance of ESZs
ESZs have been declared around areas adjacent to protected regions to reduce the impact of urbanisation and other developmental activities. They act as shock absorbers and form a transition zone from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection. ESZs facilitate in-situ conservation, which implies the conservation of an endangered species in its natural habitat, like the One-horned Rhino of Kaziranga National Park, Assam. They also help in decreasing forest depletion and man-animal conflict.
Challenges Faced by ESZs
The increase in global temperature causes land, water and ecological stress on the ESZs. Local communities also pose a challenge due to practices such as slash and burn techniques used in agriculture, increased population pressure and the rising demand for firewood and forest produce, exerting pressure on the protected areas.
