Lined by the Konkan coast to the west and the Sahyadri Hills to the east, the Mumbai region is blessed with diverse habitats. Nearly 1500 species of flowering plants, over 350 of birds, as well as various mammals and reptiles, are found in the sunny beaches, mangrove creeks, lakes, forests and hills that lie within a 150 km radius of the city. The city itself boasts of a rich flora and fauna, restricted to its green belts and parks. The Mumbai Nature Guide surveys a selection of natural sites in and around the city. Organized into five distinct habitat sections, each site is explored through a series of picturesque journeys that include road travel, trek, forest trail and boat ride.

Sunjoy Monga is a naturalist, writer, wildlife cinematographer and photographer with a deep commitment to the environment and natural history issues. Second-prize winner in the 1991 BBC British Gas International Photographer of the Year competition, he was a cameraman and consultant for Channel Four’s documentary series In Search of Wild India, as well as the Indian consultant for Sir David Attenborough’s BBC natural history project The Trials of Life. He is also the author of City Forest, Birds of Mumbai and Wildlife Reserves of India.