Syllabus:

GS3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.

Context: 

Recently, Tamil Nadu notified the establishment of the Greater Flamingo Sanctuary at Dhanushkodi in Ramanathapuram. 

More on the News: 

• The state government notified the establishment of the Sanctuary in Ramanathapuram on 524.78 hectares of land on the occasion of World Environment Day. 
• The designated area, part of the ecologically sensitive Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, is home to a variety of ecosystems, including mangroves, sand dunes, mudflats, and marshes. 
• These unique features support a rich biodiversity, from migratory birds and marine life to nesting sea turtles.
• The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) also introduced the Voluntary Green Rating of Industries, a first-of-its-kind initiative. 
• This programme evaluates industries on key indicators: Energy Security, Water Conservation, Clean Air, Sustainable Waste Management, and Green Initiatives.

Greater Flamingo: 

• The Greater Flamingo has long, thin legs and neck and a downward-bending beak. It is the largest and palest of the flamingo species.
• These are found across Africa, western Asia, and southern Europe, mainly in shallow, salty wetlands. While it can disperse widely outside the breeding season, it shows strong site fidelity, with migratory behaviour varying by population.
• Every year, 1,00,000–1,50,000 flamingos migrate from Gujarat to Mumbai, typically arriving in November and settling in the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary. 
• These feed in shallow waters using various filter-feeding methods. Its diet includes small invertebrates, microalgae, and plant seeds. 
• As an ecosystem engineer, its foraging can temporarily alter aquatic habitats.
• These are seasonally monogamous, often changing mates between or within breeding seasons. They nest on wetland islets, usually building mud mounds to avoid flooding. 
• Greater Flamingo is very sensitive to disturbance by predators, including man, and may abandon their breeding colonies, which causes reproductive failure. 
• Like other wetland-dwelling species, it also suffers from habitat degradation or loss, hunting, trapping, collisions with structures, and lead poisoning. 
• The overall population has been estimated at 6,90,000–9,10,000 individuals.

Greater Flamingo Sanctuary:

• It is located within the ecologically sensitive Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, is a critical stopover along the Central Asian Flyway.
• This region supports 128 bird species, including Greater and Lesser Flamingos. 
• The region hosts varied ecosystems such as sand dunes, marshes, and mangrove forests like Avicennia and Rhizophora that help stabilize the coastline and support marine life such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and nesting sea turtles.