Sanjay Gandhi National Park
The Sanjay Gandhi National Park area has a long written history dating back to the 4th century BCE. In ancient India, Sopara and Kalyan were two ports in the vicinity that traded with ancient civilisations such as Greece and Mesopotamia. The land route between these two ports was partially through this forest.
Vanashakti
In 2015, in a petition filed by Vanashakti, it sought to demarcate “Critical Wildlife Areas” in order protect the various species from extinction inside forests and sanctuaries.
In January 2016, the Ministry of Environment and Forests in an affidavit in the National Green Tribunal that they were in the final stages of setting up an eco-sensitive zone around Sanjay Gandhi National Park. NGO Vanashakti had filed a petition seeking the declaration of Aarey Milk Colony as an Eco-Sensitive Zone.