India remains at lowest ebb in nature conservation index
New Delhi: India scored a dismal 45.5 out of 100, ranking 176th out of 180 countries in the Global Nature Conservation Index 2024. This places India near the bottom, just above Kiribati, which ranked 180th.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the reports revealed that the land management Indian was 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 India.
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 revealed.
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 stated 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 analyze and compare,” Singh said.
