Tansa wildlife sanctuary falls prey to quarrying, timber mafia & brick kilns

The tree trunks are shrouded in smoke. Black drongos make sorties towards the burning vegetation, picking up insects disturbed by the fire. A few feet ahead, a bare tract of land, stripped of its foliage, has been dug up. An earthmover and a truck are parked at the edge of the quarry as masked men drill away. This is not a scene from an -authorized mining site but from inside the ‘protected’ environs of the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary.

Tansa spans 320 sq.km. in Thane and consists of tropical moist deciduous forests. The sanctuary also encompasses Tansa Lake, a critical source of drinking water for Mumbai and Thane supplying 455 million litres to the city daily. Yet its catchment forests are devoid of biodiversity that sustains similar ecosystems across the Western Ghats landscape. With approximately 60 villages located inside, the sanctuary faces tremendous anthropogenic pressure.

Innumerable patches have been logged and burnt to make way for paddy and other crops. Trees are killed by burning the bases of their trunks before they are felled and sold. D. B. Shendge, Deputy Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Thane says, “We are trying to curb this crime by carrying out day and night patrols; around 12 vehicles have been seized so far this year.”

The

Tansa Sanctuary

is home to the critically

endangered Forest Owlet

. The species was considered extinct for 113 years until its rediscovery in November 1997 in Toranmal Reserve Forest of Shahada in Nandurbar. It was first spotted in Tansa in 2014. A recent survey by the Indian Bird Conservation Network reveals that the sanctuary and surrounding areas support a minimum population of 42 such birds.

Many Forest Owlet locations are in isolated pockets surrounded by agricultural fields, encroachments and human habitations. The primary to the High Court that under Forest Rights Act, it should be mandatory for Critical Wildlife Habitats to be demarcated across Maharashtra.

We have cited Tansa’s example as it close to the city and under pressure from demands of timber and brick kiln businesses.” Bittu Sahgal, Editor, Sanctuary Asia said, “The Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary is critical to the water security of Mumbai, but successive governments have treated such forests as little more than unproductive wastelands. City planners don’t understand how forests are umbilically linked to water security, nor their role in sequestering and storing carbon.” servator of forests (wildlife), Thane, says, ““People from outside bring battery powered chainsaws, quickly cut one or two trees and take away timber. Our patrolling squads have even caught small cars carrying timber. But these measures are not enough, we will prepare a nature tourism proposal which will provide livelihood to the locals and make them more protective of the forest.”

However, environmentalists are skeptical. Stalin Dayanand, Director, NGO Vanashakti says, “The Forest Rights Act is being misused…investors from outside are teaming up with tribals and encouraging them to clear forests. We have appealed threat to it is destruction habitat due to encroachments, overgrazing, forest fires, illicit woodcutting and firewood collection. Other factors such as mining, use of pesticide and rodenticides, and brick kilns are equally responsible, says the report. Illegal soil excavation is also rampant.

The rich topsoil has been pilfered for brick kilns inside the sanctuary as well as its peripheral landscape. Meadows around the banks of Tansa Lake could be ideal feeding grounds for deer. Instead, these grasslands attract hordes of cattle and goat. Livestock grazing is also common deep inside the forests. Dipak Mate, assistant conservator of forests (wildlife), Thane, says, ““People from outside bring battery powered chainsaws, quickly cut one or two trees and take away timber. Our patrolling squads have even caught small cars carrying timber. But these measures are not enough, we will prepare a nature tourism proposal which will provide livelihood to the locals and make them more protective of the forest.” However, environmentalists are skeptical. Stalin Dayanand, Director, NGO Vanashakti says, “The Forest Rights Act is being misused…investors from outside are teaming up with tribals and encouraging them to clear forests. We have appealed to the High Court that under Forest Rights Act, it should be mandatory for Critical Wildlife Habitats to be demarcated across Maharashtra. We have cited Tansa’s example as it close to the city and under pressure from demands of timber and brick kiln businesses.” Bittu Sahgal, Editor, Sanctuary Asia said, “The Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary is critical to the water security of Mumbai, but successive governments have treated such forests as little more than unproductive wastelands. City planners don’t understand how forests are umbilically linked to water security, nor their role in sequestering and storing carbon.”