India has ranked176th out of 180 countries in the inaugural Global Nature Conservation Index (NCI) 2024, with a score of 45.5 out of 100. The report, released on 24th October, places India among the bottom five countries in nature conservation efforts, alongside Kiribati (180), Turkey (179), Iraq (178), and Micronesia (177). The NCI evaluates global conservation progress using four pillars: Land Management, Threats to Biodiversity, Capacity and Governance, and Future Trends.
Developed by the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in collaboration with BioDB.com, the NCI aims to assess how well countries are balancing development and environmental protection. The report’s findings are based on 25 performance indicators, painting a grim picture for India, especially regarding its land management and biodiversity threats.
Key Issues Behind India’s Poor Ranking
India’s low score is largely due to inadequate land management and the alarming rate of biodiversity loss. The NCI highlights the country’s deforestation problem, with the loss of 23,300 km² (8,996 mi²) of tree cover between 2001 and 2019. A lack of effective governance and increasing urban, agricultural, and industrial land conversion—estimated at 53%—are exacerbating the country’s environmental degradation.
“You can’t manage what you can’t measure—so the saying goes. With that in mind, we created the Nature Conservation Index (NCI), which is an unbiased, straightforward tool designed to show how well countries handle conservation challenges,” said Yaron Ziv from the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change.
The report also references the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, which reveals that 15.9% of marine species and 13.4% of terrestrial species in India are at risk. These findings are compounded by India’s low score of 54 in biodiversity conservation, signaling concerns over threatened species and the country’s weak conservation measures.
Legal and Policy Shortcomings
India’s standing on indicators related to the effectiveness of laws protecting natural resources is another key issue. Ranking 122nd in this category, the report highlights the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2023 (FCAA), which allows for commercial exploitation of forestlands and exempts certain infrastructural projects from environmental scrutiny. This has raised alarms among environmentalists, who argue that such policies contribute to further habitat loss and deforestation.
The report also stresses India’s failure to implement robust climate change mitigation measures, including inadequate efforts to shift toward renewable energy, improve energy efficiency, and adopt sustainable land use practices. These gaps in policy and regulation make it challenging for India to meet global conservation goals.
Future Conservation Challenges
India’s biodiversity and ecological health face ongoing threats due to population pressures, with the country’s population having doubled since the 1970s. The report warns of the risks posed by habitat loss and fragmentation, particularly in the context of large-scale projects like the Great Nicobar Island Development Project, which threatens the island’s unique ecosystems.
The NCI also calls attention to the urgent need for better marine conservation. With just 0.2% of India’s national waterways under protection and none within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), significant work remains to safeguard the country’s marine biodiversity. Over 34.5% of Indian fisheries are classified as overexploited, highlighting the necessity for sustainable fishing practices.
Although 40% of marine species and 65% of terrestrial species are located within protected areas, many species continue to face declining populations. The index reports that 67.5% of marine species and 46.9% of terrestrial species in India are experiencing population declines, despite being in supposedly protected areas.
The NCI offers several recommendations to help India improve its conservation efforts. These include enacting stronger conservation legislation, investing in the country’s 55 tiger reserves, and offering compensation schemes to encourage local community involvement in conservation. The report also stresses the importance of addressing buffer zone utilization and connectivity issues to enhance long-term biodiversity protection.
India’s conservation efforts were also criticized in the 2024 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), where the country ranked low for its environmental policies. The need for stronger political will, funding, and leadership from policymakers is a recurring theme in both the NCI and EPI reports. The future of India’s biodiversity, according to the NCI, will depend on its ability to take decisive action on these fronts.
As the NCI puts it, “India faces both alarming biodiversity challenges and promising opportunities.” For the country to move forward, it must prioritize sustainable development, invest in environmental preservation, and implement efficient conservation measures with a renewed sense of urgency.
About Author
Leave a Reply