India Ranks 176 Out Of 180 In Global Nature Conservation Index, 2024

India has been ranked among the five worst performers standing 176th out of 180 nations in the Global Nature Conservation Index, 2024. Only Kiribati (180), Turkey (179), Iraq (178) and Micronesia (177) ranked below India in the rankings released on October 24.

The first-ever Nature Conservation Index (NCI) launched in October gauges conservation efforts of countries under four markers — land management, threats to biodiversity, capacity and governance, and future trends. It is developed by Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and BioDB.com, a non-profit that maintains biodiversity data.

Yaron Ziv of Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change said, "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."

India's place among the nations ranked lowest on the index is mainly due to rising threats to biodiversity and inefficient land management.

The 53 per cent rate of land conversion for urban, industrial, and agricultural purposes has mandated sustainable land use techniques in India. The index reveals excessive fertilizer use warning against soil pollution. It stated that India, with a sustainable nitrogen index of 0.77, has to urgently address this to ensure good soil health.

The assessment also dealt with marine conservation with only 0.2 per cent of India's national waterways covered by protected areas and none within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Strong efforts towards conservation are needed even if 7.5 per cent of India's terrestrial territory is protected.

The assessment also highlighted several risks to India's biodiversity including the loss of habitat and agriculture-induced fragmentation, urbanization and infrastructural development, as climate change poses further risk.

Deforestation led to a tree cover loss of an alarming 23,300 square kilometres in India between 2001 and 2019. Climate change is also impacting sensitive ecosystems like alpine regions and coral reefs.

A significant population decline has been witnessed even with 40 per cent of marine species and 65 per cent of terrestrial species being within 'protected areas'. A further 67.5 per cent of marine species and 46.9 per cent of terrestrial species continue to witness population decline, according to the index. India received a lowly score of 54 out of 100 in this regard.

The concerns raised by the most recent global progress report on Sustainable Development was echoed by the findings of the index. India faced huge challenges in SDG 14 (Life below water) and SDG 15 (Life on land).

India at present is faced with both promising opportunities and serious biodiversity concerns in the years ahead, as per the index, under the 'future trends pillar'. It warned that India, having one of the highest population densities in the world that has doubled since the late 1970s, its ecological wealth is under great threat.

The index also called for stronger enforcement and international cooperation as India finds itself as the fourth-largest illegal wildlife trader in the world with around 15 billion pounds of annual sales.

To successfully implement strategies for conservation, including passing of laws supporting sustainable development and securing funding for environmental initiatives, a strong political will is necessary in India.

The country, with a committed effort, can counter the upcoming challenges related to conservation and pave the way for a more sustainable and ecologically friendly future, the NCI index stated.

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