Mumbai’s diverse bird habitats are facing a threat from rapid urbanisation

Many popular and lesser-known bird habitats in Mumbai city are facing a threat from urban infrastructure work, while some have managed to survive despite the urban landscape closing in.

Naturalist and writer-photographer Sunjoy Monga estimates that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region has lost about 75% of habitat landscapes in just over a quarter of a century, with the most shocking and large scale devastation witnessed in just the past 7 years to 8 years in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

“Urbanisation, not just in Mumbai, but anywhere does constantly influence the ecological dimensions, including its effect on avifauna,” Monga said. “The most threatened urban habitats include the wetlands (these come in various designs and dynamics, from coastal and brackish to inland freshwater) and the openland pockets of grass and scrub. Since habitats usually have many niche species of birds, its loss reflects prominently in their numbers, appearances and vanishings.”

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