Panaji: With the onset of the monsoon, the waterlogged khazan fields of Santa Cruz turn fallow plots into shallow wetlands, drawing hundreds of migratory birds. This season, the arrival of greater flamingos became the biggest birding draw, but the sighting was short-lived, with farmers’ fears believed to have driven the birds away.Ornithologists and wildlife photographers saw the flock — three adults and 12 juveniles that stayed for nearly 10 days — as a rare opportunity for observation and documentation. For farmers, however, the flamingos’ presence set off alarm bells over the possibility of the area being pushed for wetland status, leading to restrictions on lands they already find hard to cultivate.“Some villagers feared that widespread publicity around the birds could strengthen the case for declaring the inundated fields as wetlands. They made repeated attempts to drive the birds away from the site,” a forest official said.Farmers denied having any role in the flamingos’ disappearance, but officials said there was no other plausible reason for the sudden departure. Some of the birds were later documented near Bengaluru, the official said.“When people look at wildlife, they focus only on the bird. But without the habitat, there is no bird. In the case of the greater flamingos, the fields remain inundated during the monsoon, becoming excellent feeding grounds,” the official said.Farmer Jovial Araujo, whose land is close to where the flock congregated, said farming in the area has become increasingly difficult. “They remain submerged throughout the monsoon. After the rains, the salinity is so high that cultivation becomes impossible. It has been years since we have been able to grow anything,” he said.Another farmer, Caetano Barretto, said khazan lands naturally attract migratory birds every monsoon as the fields stay submerged for months.After the attention the flock drew during its brief stay, it was but natural for farmers to worry that conservation measures could bring new curbs. Officials, however, said declaring the area a wetland is not straightforward.Renato Dias, chairperson of the Santa Cruz Tenant Farmers Association, said any position on such proposals would need collective discussion. “We cannot decide individually. We have a committee, office-bearers and members. Any decision has to be taken collectively. There is not one mind among people. Different farmers have different views,” he told TOI.Dr Pradip Sarmokadam, member secretary, Goa State Biodiversity Board and head of the nodal agency, Goa State Wetland Authority, said, “Ecologically, that stretch at Santa Cruz may look like a wetland, however, legally it does not fall under the definition of wetlands.” He also said there is “no provision for acquisition of such lands”.
