Introduction and About

- India holds the 176th rank in the 2024 Global Nature Conservation Index.

- India features among the five lowest-ranked countries, joined by nations like Kiribati, Turkey, Iraq, and Micronesia out of a total of 180 nations.

 

India's Low Ranking and Reasons

- The main factors contributing to India's low ranking are ineffective land management and the escalating threats to biodiversity.

 

About Nature Conservation Index (NCI)

- The NCI is developed by the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University, in collaboration with BioDB.com, a biodiversity database.

- Its inaugural version was launched in October 2024, aiming to analyse conservation efforts.

- The NCI evaluates countries based on four crucial aspects: land management, biodiversity threats, capacity and governance, and future trends.

 

Observations of the NCI

- The NCI highlights the importance of sustainable land use, as 53% of land globally is repurposed for urban, industrial, and agricultural use.

- The index points to high pesticide usage as a worrying factor and reinforces the threat of soil pollution.

- Marine conservation practices need enhancements considering only 0.2% of national waterways are protected, and no areas are protected within India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

- India is listed as the fourth-largest illegal wildlife trading nation worldwide, with annual sales amassing to approximately 15 billion Euros.

- Between 2001 and 2019, deforestation led to a loss of around 23,300 sq. km of tree cover in India.

- India's ecological wealth is persistently endangered by an ever-growing population.

 

Importance and Implications

- Global Nature Conservation Index is a crucial tool for understanding the state of nature conservation in the world.

- It inserts higher accountability on nations to preserve their natural resources and biodiversity.

- Countries, including India, can utilise the insights from the NCI to implement better practices, policies, and planning for improved nature conservation.

 

Historical Context

- There has been an increasingly noticed decline in India's biodiversity due to multiple factors such as deforestation, land degradation, overpopulation and over utilisation of natural resources.

- The NCI report provides valuable data reflecting the need for more considerable efforts towards nature conservation. It defends the urgency to control threats to biodiversity, thus endorsing sustainable and ecological growth.

 

Concluding Remarks

- Although the 2024 Global Nature Conservation Index indicates an alarming situation for India, it can be used as a catalyst for change.

- It can aid in enhancing the understanding of the importance of ecological balance, initiating more robust conservation efforts, and setting India on a path toward sustainable development.