The internationally acclaimed Wildlife Institute of India (WII), operating under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC), has recommended the inclusion of the NRI Wetland—along with the DPS Flamingo Lake—as a conservation reserve for aquatic birds.
“This is a significant development in our ongoing battle to protect Navi Mumbai’s wetlands as part of the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) management plan,” said B N Kumar, director of the NatConnect Foundation.
The WII was invited by the state forest department to study the DPS Flamingo Lake area and assess its suitability for conservation reserve status, particularly as a habitat for flamingos.
In its report, Assessment on the Significance of the DPS Lake, Navi Mumbai for Flamingos, the institute stated that its field study “clearly calls for inclusion of select water bodies in the Arabian Sea inlet outside of TCFS to be also managed for aquatic birds, and more importantly the DPS Lake and NRI Lake for flamingos.”
Kumar, who obtained the report, presented the findings during a victory rally at the DPS Flamingo Lake in Nerul, held by environmental enthusiasts to celebrate the 30-acre waterbody’s new ‘conservation reserve’ tag.
Earlier plans by CIDCO to develop a golf course on the NRI Wetland have since been scrapped. According to the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report submitted to the MoEFCC for the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIAL), the golf course proposal was officially dropped, Kumar noted.
NMIAL has consistently stated in its environmental compliance reports that it will preserve local biodiversity, in line with recommendations from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), which has repeatedly stressed the ecological importance of protecting these wetlands—integral parts of the TCFS satellite ecosystem.
“With these developments, the path is now clear for protecting all five key wetlands. The government must act swiftly to formally secure these water bodies,” Kumar urged.
The Wildlife Institute emphasized that flamingos, as aquatic birds, require stable water conditions for roosting both day and night. The DPS Lake and its adjoining sheltered water bodies offer an ideal habitat, with minimal tidal fluctuation—a crucial factor in roost site selection.
Tracking studies by BNHS also show that tagged flamingos extensively use both the DPS Lake and the surrounding wetlands outside TCFS, reinforcing their importance in the birds’ migratory pattern.
Further supporting this push, the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), based in Chennai, has recently surveyed the wetlands at Panje, NRI Complex, and TS Chanakya. This information was obtained by NatConnect through a Right to Information (RTI) query to the State Environment Department.
Kumar called on the department to expedite the notification of these wetlands under the Environment Protection Act and declare them as conservation reserves.
Former corporator Netra Shirke and Sandeep Sareen of the Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society extended their gratitude to Forest Minister Ganesh Naik for his strong advocacy in favor of protecting the DPS Flamingo Lake.
“Now, nothing should stand in the way of granting conservation status to all key wetlands,” Sareen said.
Green groups remain hopeful that Navi Mumbai, known fondly as the “Flamingo City,” will continue to flourish—remaining “in the pink” for generations to come.
