Context:

• ESZ around Thane sanctuary set to be restricted to 3.89km as Union ministry steps in.
• The ESZ is supposed to act as a transition zone from areas of high protection to less protection.

What is the issue?

• In May, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had notified a 48.32 sq km area around the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) as ESZ.
• The zone is meant to act as a buffer for protected areas.
• The circular for declaring a 10-km radius around the sanctuary as ESZ created a scare among builders as many projects would be affected with the implementation of the plan.
• The National Wildlife Action Plan 2002-2016 had identified ESZ’s as “vital ecological corridor links” and stressed that they must be protected to prevent isolation of fragments of biodiversity.

Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS)

• The TCFS consists of 896 hectares of mangrove forests and 794 hectares of water bodies.
• It is on the western bank of the creek, between the Airoli and the Vashi bridges connecting Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
• It came into being in August 2015 and is Maharashtra’s second marine sanctuary, after Malvan.
• The TCFS has been attracting flamingos in large numbers since 1994.
• In all, 200 species have been reported, even globally threatened species such as the greater spotted eagle and others such as osprey.
• Other birds found here are the Pied avocet, western reef heron, black-headed ibis, common redshank, marsh sandpiper, common greenshank, curlew sandpiper, brown-headed gull, whiskered, gull-billed, Caspian and little terns.

What does Eco-Sensitive Zone mean and what is its purpose?

• Eco-Sensitive Zone means the fragile area that exists within 10 kilometres of protected areas like National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.
• The purpose of marking an Eco-Sensitive Zone is to create a kind of shock-absorber around the protected areas.
• They are also known as Ecologically Fragile Areas (EFAs) and are notified around Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.
• They also act as a transition zone from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection.

Who declares the Eco-Sensitive Zone around protected areas?

• The Eco-Sensitive Zone around protected areas are declared by the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India.

What are the activities prohibited around ESZ?

• Commercial mining, stone quarrying, crushing units, setting up industries that cause pollution, establishment of hydro-electric projects, commercial use of firewood, solid waste disposal or wastewater disposal and many other activities are prohibited or banned around ESZ.

https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/esz-around-thane-sanctuary-set-to-be-restricted-to-3-89km-as-union-ministry-steps-in-7440482/

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