Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary gets Ramsar site status

The Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) has been formally certified and given the status of a Ramsar site by the Convention of Wetlands.

Jonathan Barzdo, the Secretary General of Convention on Wetlands, has issued a certificate to this effect designating the TCFS as a “Wetland of International Importance” and allotted Ramsar site number - 2490.

"The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands has recently designated 28 new wetlands from India as Ramsar sites of international importance. It makes the total number of Ramsar sites in the country to 75, which includes Thane Creek from Maharashtra. The 75 Ramsar sites in India are spread across 23 States and Union Territories, covering a total area of 13,26,678 hectares,” the Mangrove Foundation of Maharashtra tweeted.

Virendra Tiwari, the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Mangrove Cell), has played a lead role in the efforts to secure Ramsar certification.

“This status makes TCFS a part of an international network, wherein the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources would contribute to sustainable development,” said Leena Nandan, Secretary, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC).

The TCFC, spread across 1,690.5 hectares, is the first Ramsar Wetland in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) when the proposal is cleared.

According to a BNHS report, the Thane Creek, which comprises 12 true mangrove species and 39 associate mangrove species, ranks amongst the most important bird habitats in the region and is an interesting dividing line between the Mumbai and Mumbai suburbs, Thane and the city of Navi Mumbai.

A total of around 167 species of birds, 45 species of fishes, 59 species of butterflies, and 67 species of insects have been recorded here, the BNHS report states.

“This is certainly a welcome development,” said B N Kumar, Director of NatConnect Foundation with a cautious note drawing attention to the gross neglect of six wetlands that form part of the TCFS Satellite Wetlands.

A Ramsar site is a wetland area that the Ramsar Convention has identified as being of international significance.
The Ramsar Convention is an international environmental agreement that establishes the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The Convention on Wetlands is another name for it. It has the name of the Iranian city of Ramsar, where the agreement was formally adopted in 1971.