Mumbai, Apr 17 (PTI) The Maharashtra State Board of Wild Life (SBWL) on Thursday declared the DPS wetland in Navi Mumbai as a Flamingo Conservation Reserve.

The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and attended by forest minister Ganesh Naik as well as senior officials.

“The SBWL took a decision to declare DPS wetland in Navi Mumbai as Flamingo Conservation Reserve,” Bombay Natural History Society director Kishor Rithe, who attended the meeting, told PTI.

The BNHS and several other organisations from Navi Mumbai had given representations to the state government on this issue, he added.

“DPS lake conservation reserve will help to avoid air accidents in future at Navi Mumbai international airport. The BNHS is doing a long term study at several wetlands in Navi Mumbai,” Rithe said.

The SBWL also cleared extension of Bor Wildlife Sanctuary in Wardha to add Garamsur, Yenidodka, Methiraji, Umarvihori and Maraksur villages.

It also decided to protect the Devrais (groves considered sacred) in the Western Ghats.

The board decided to constitute a committee under the chairmanship of APCCF West and prepare the proposals for declaring them as conservation reserve.

The SBWL members raised the issue of recruitment of wildlife vets in Maharashtra, an official said, adding that the CM asked officials to clear proposals related to animal-human conflict pending for a long time.

“Maharashtra state is the only state in India having State Wildlife Action Plan. Today, SBWL decided to constitute a committee under the chairmanship of CS for its time bound implementation. The SBWL took several good decisions for Maharashtra,” Rithe said. PTI MR BNM