Forest Minister Ganesh Naik Orders Study Report on Setting Up Mangrove Park at Airoli

 Forest Minister Ganesh Naik Orders

Study Report on Setting Up Mangrove Park at Airoli

 

Mumbai, April 4 : A large expanse of mangroves is located along the creekside of Airoli in Navi Mumbai, Thane district, which is also home to a significant population of flamingos. Forest Minister Ganesh Naik has directed that a feasibility study be conducted and a report submitted for the development of a Mangrove Safari Park in this region to boost eco-tourism.

A meeting regarding various issues related to the Forest Department was held under the chairmanship of Forest Minister Ganesh Naik at the Mantralaya. Present at the meeting were Praveen Pardeshi, CEO of Maharashtra Institute for Transformation (MITRA), Milind Mhaiskar, Additional Chief Secretary of the Forest Department, Shomita Biswas, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Vivek Hosing, Deputy Secretary, B.V. Ramarav, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, among others.

Minister Naik stated that the creekside areas of Navi Mumbai present excellent opportunities for tourism development. Mangroves and flamingos can serve as major attractions for nature lovers. He suggested that a world-class mangrove park could potentially be developed in areas like Airoli and Ghansoli, and that a field inspection should be carried out followed by a detailed report.

He also emphasized the need to develop measures to prevent human-wildlife conflict, particularly in regions like Junnar, Karad, and Sangamner, where leopard sightings are frequent. On the lines of the Jawai Leopard Safari in Rajasthan, he proposed that similar safaris be studied for these three talukas.

To protect endangered species like the Indian bison (Gaur) and Great Indian Bustard (Maldhok), it was proposed to establish an International Breeding Centre at the Gorewada Project in Nagpur. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has been planned for this, and the Minister instructed that swift action be taken in this regard.

Mr. Pardeshi also emphasized the importance of the international breeding centre and the MoU with BNHS, highlighting the need to accelerate this initiative.

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