India ranked 176 on nature conservation index
With a score of 45.5 out of 100, India ranked 176 out of 180 countries in the Global Nature Conservation Index. It was placed just above Kiribati which ranked 180, Turkey (ranked 179), Iraq (178) and Micronesia (177).
Ranking questioned
The report says that our land management is poor. Imagine several African countries faced with unprecedented extension of deserts, US and Canada are leading in terms of forest fire, and yet all are above us.
BK Singh, ex-indian forest service officer
Shows lack of will
When reserve forests and protected areas are merely for the sake of numbers and optics, and when there is no real will to conserve forests and wildlife, the net result is usually like this. Rohit Choudhary, environment activist
The Index, launched this month, evaluates conservation efforts on four parameters — management of land, threats faced by biodiversity, governance and capacity, and future trends. India’s low ranking is being primarily attributed to rising threats to biodiversity and the inefficient management of land.
“Unique habitats like India’s deserts, with 628 plant species, and cold deserts (Himalayas) protect rare species like the Snow Leopard and require attention to conservation. Though 7.5 percent of India’s terrestrial area is protected, improvements are needed in marine protected areas,” stated the Nature Conservation Index.
However, experts are divided about the claims made in the index. Former Indian Forest Service officer, BK Singh, commented, “The report says that our land management is poor. Imagine several African countries faced with unprecedented extension of deserts, and all are above us.”
“In regards deforestation, there are several reports indicating that boreal forests, Amazon forests, and forests of Congo basin are subjected to severe losses as compared to us. The US and Canada are leading in terms of forest fire. In 2023, forest fires in Canada caused a surge in greenhouse gas emission. How can they be rated above us?” Singh asked.
He said that the report is a data-driven analysis and not a study report based on any satellite images. “It is quite difficult to compare countries based on the records of land management and biodiversity conservation. Countries keep their land/soil fertility data in different formats, which indeed makes it difficult to analyse and compare,” Singh said.
The report said that over 10.47 percent of India’s GDP was allocated to environmental and conservation management in 2023–2024.
It noted that due to India’s role as both a source and transit point for trafficked wildlife, many species were illegally moved in and out of the country.
Common wildlife seizures in India include ivory, Indian star tortoises, red sandalwood, and rhino horns. Particularly, pangolin poaching and tiger part trafficking are on the rise. “India ranks fourth globally in illegal wildlife trading, worth over £15 billion annually. Thus, there is need for stricter enforcement and international cooperation,” the report said.
Environment activist Rohit Choudhary commented, “When reserve forests and protected areas are merely for the sake of numbers and optics, and when there is no real will to conserve forests and wildlife, the net result is usually like this.”
Congress general secretary in-charge (communications) Jairam Ramesh commented, “Whenever India gets a very low rank on some global index or the other, the immediate response of the non-biological PM’s drumbeaters and cheerleaders is to attack the index itself as a plot to defame India by agenda-driven NGOs.”
“But, what will be the response to the just-released Nature Conservation Index, in which India ranks a miserable 176th out of 180 countries? This Index has been co-developed by Israel’s Ben Gurion University. Will the bona fides of this university too be questioned?” he said.
