Coastal Bird Shelter: A New Avenue of Development of Ecotourism in Mumbai

The present study was done to assess and propose a coastal bird shelter at the salt -pan areas of Mumbai. Coastal birds are an integral part of coastal ecosystems, which nowadays are subject to severe environmental pressures due to heavy encroachments, inlets of domestic and industrial pollution near coastal areas in creeks and sea, expansion of human population at cost of mangroves and absence of shelter for birds. We have already lost hundreds of species of bird since last century and there is urgent need of conservation of these entities. There are total of two hundred and twenty-three species of coastal birds were recorded from the coastal wetlands of India, which is belonging to 30 families under nine orders. The highest number of bird species observed at East coast, followed by West coast and Andaman& Nicobar Islands. The data highlight the importance of the coastal wetlands of India as a strategic site, as well as the urgent need for it conservation, mostly for migratory birds during winter seasons. The present study is conducted in Bombay Jenkin Salt-Work, Bhandup, it occupies about 500 acres along with Thane creeks near the heaviest human settlement of Mumbai suburban. During present study hundreds of species of birds including flamingo, seagulls Oriental Stork, Black-headed Ibis, Greater Spotted Eagles, White-bellied Sea-eagle, Eurasian Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit etc had been observed. It included domestic as well as migratory birds. The present study provides the occurrence of coastal birds of in study area during my research period and explore the possibility to build a coastal bird shelter of around 3 sq. km in salt-pan areas without disturbing salt-production along the eastern highway in Bhandup and Mulund suburban areas near Thane creek to promote conservation of these Birds and ecotourism.