For 27-year-old Thane resident, Shaila Bajpayee, a slight imbalance in the ecosystem at Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) — home hundreds of flamingos — could cause irreparable damage to the marshlands. Advertising “Although it’s a flamingo sanctuary, there is an entire ecosystem existing there. The animals constitute such a delicate cycle in the marshlands that it would be damaged with the smallest imbalance,” the zoology student said. Bajpayee was among the scores of residents of Airoli who had stood up against the environment clearance to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed train corridor. The protesters claimed such projects would lead to an irreversible damage to the marshland’s ecosystem. The sanctuary, environmentalists says, is home to Golden Jackal, an apex predator, and several amphibians, birds and snakes. “There are several snakes in the region, including the Rock Python, which is a highly protected species. These snakes live in the marshes and thrive on bird hatchling,” Arya Vaidya, an environmentalist, said. Advertising “Whenever there are any projects that pass through the animal habitats, there have to be buffer zones. Here, that has not been taken into consideration. With the elevated path for bullet trains, the birds that frequent the area, like Caspian Terns, Herons and Marsh Sandpiper, would face navigational issues and even greater degree of accidents. This would also affect the wader birds, like Rosy Starlings and Painted Stocks, and in the near future we can expect several birds to not return to the area,” Chinmay Joshi, environmentalist working with the NGO RAWW, said. “The Golden Jackal has been facing man-animal conflict already, especially with ever-narrowing habitats and growing accidents,” he said. While animal lovers and wildlife enthusiasts have been demanding a more protected environment for the animals in the marshes, now residents in the area have formed groups to press for better laws for the protection of wildlife. “We can’t focus on development without keeping in mind the existing ecosystems. If the birds stop coming, we will lose something that was the pride of the area,” Bajpayee, who runs an environmental club in her society said. “Our main aim is to make people aware of their surroundings. We are also trying to gather support to ensure that any upcoming project doesn’t impact the wildlife in the area,” she told The Sunday Express.

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