Why in the News?

India ranks 176^th out of 180 countries in the Global Nature Conservation Index (NCI) 2024, indicating critical challenges in biodiversity conservation and sustainable land use. Released on October 24, the index scores India at 45.5 out of 100, positioning it among the five lowest-ranked nations alongside Kiribati, Turkey, Iraq and Micronesia, highlighting urgent conservation needs.

Highlights of the Report

• Land Conversion Issues: Approximately 53% of India’s land is converted for urban, industrial, and agricultural uses, leading to significant loss of natural habitats.
• High Pesticide Use and Soil Pollution: It warns about excessive pesticide use and soil pollution, with a concerning Sustainable Nitrogen Index of 0.77, signaling the need for improved soil health.
• Limited Marine Conservation: Only 0.2% of India’s waterways are protected and there are no protected marine areas in its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), highlighting a gap in marine conservation.
• Habitat Loss and Fragmentation: Deforestation, urbanization, and infrastructure development are causing habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss, with an alarming deforestation rate—23,300 sq. km of tree cover lost between 2001 and 2019.
• Species Decline in Protected Areas: Although 40% of marine and 65% of terrestrial species are in Protected Areas (PAs), the population decline persists—67.5% of marine and 46.9% of terrestrial species are decreasing in number.
• Illegal Wildlife Trade: India ranks as the fourth-largest illegal wildlife trader, with an annual turnover of £15 billion.
• The findings reflect India’s challenges in meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 14 (Life below water) and 15 (Life on land).

Nature Conservation Index (NCI)

• Launched: October 2024
• Developed by: Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and BioDB.com, a non-profit website dedicated to maintaining biodiversity data.
• It evaluates conservation efforts using four markers -
  • Land Management
  • Threats to Biodiversity
  • Capacity and Governance
  • Future Trends
• It is a data-driven analysis assessing each country's progress in balancing conservation and development.
• It is aimed at helping governments, researchers and organizations identify concerns and enhance conservation policies for long-term biodiversity protection.