Tungareshwar was declared a wildlife sanctuary in the year 2003. Tungareshwar is a hill plateau located between Virar and Vasai in the suburban areas of Mumbai. Spread over 85 sq.km, it forms a corridor between Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary.
The region is rich in biodiversity Oriental dwarf kingfisher, the Leopard, Wild Boar, Barking Deer, Langur, Bonnet and Rhesus Macaque, the Crested Serpent-eagle, White-eyed Buzzard, Oriental Honey-buzzard, Emerald Dove and Heart-spotted Woodpecker can be found here.
Supreme Court exempted Maharashtra’s Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS) from creation of a one-kilometre eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around all Protected Areas in India.