GUWAHATI: India has received a disappointing score of 45.5 out of 100, landing it in 176th place in the Global Nature Conservation Index (NCI) released on October 24. This ranking positions India among the five lowest performers, along with Kiribati (180), Turkey (179), Iraq (178), and Micronesia (177) out of 180 countries.
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The NCI, developed by the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in collaboration with BioDB.com, a non-profit organisation dedicated to biodiversity data, assesses national conservation efforts across four critical criteria: land management, threats to biodiversity, governance and capacity, and future trends.
Yaron Ziv from the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School 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 low score is largely attributed to poor land management practices and escalating threats to its biodiversity. Alarmingly, the index reveals that 53% of the country's land has been converted for urban, industrial, and agricultural use. The excessive use of pesticides and severe soil pollution further highlight the urgent need for sustainable land-use practices, evidenced by a concerning sustainable nitrogen index score of 0.77.
The assessment also points to a lack of marine conservation, noting that only 0.2% of India's national waterways are classified as protected areas, with none located within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). While 7.5% of terrestrial territory is safeguarded, significant advancements are still required in marine conservation efforts.
The report identifies several threats to India's biodiversity, including habitat loss and fragmentation due to agriculture, urbanisation, and infrastructure development, with climate change exacerbating these risks. From 2001 to 2019, India witnessed a staggering loss of 23,300 sq. km of tree cover due to deforestation. The index warns that climate change is impacting sensitive ecosystems, such as alpine regions and coral reefs.
Although 40% of marine species and 65% of terrestrial species are found within Protected Areas (PAs), the report indicates ongoing population declines, with 67.5% of marine species and 46.9% of terrestrial species continuing to face reductions.
These findings resonate with concerns highlighted in the latest global progress report on Sustainable Development, where India faced significant hurdles in meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 14 (Life Below Water) and 15 (Life on Land).