India ranks 176th out of 180 countries in Global Nature Conservation Index
New Delhi: India has ranked 176th out of 180 countries in the 2024 Global Nature Conservation Index (NCI), scoring 45.5 out of 100, placing it among the world’s lowest-ranked nations in terms of environmental conservation. Released on October 24, 2024, the report places India alongside Kiribati (180), Turkey (179), Iraq (178), and Micronesia (177) in the bottom tier of the rankings.
The Nature Conservation Index (NCI) is the first-ever comprehensive report assessing countries’ conservation efforts and sustainable environmental practices. Developed by the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University in collaboration with BioDB.com, the NCI evaluates four core pillars: Land Management, Threats to Biodiversity, Capacity and Governance, and Future Trends. These areas are measured through 25 performance indicators to gauge the effectiveness of each country’s efforts to protect its natural environment.
India’s low rank stems largely from challenges in land management and escalating biodiversity threats. Citing data from the IUCN Red List, the NCI report reveals that 15.9% of marine species and 13.4% of terrestrial species in India face extinction risks. The report highlights a drastic loss of tree cover, with 23,300 square kilometers (8,996 square miles) of forest area lost to deforestation between 2001 and 2019. The index underscores India’s need for stronger regulatory measures to protect biodiversity and calls for enhanced funding, policy implementation, and leadership commitment to conservation.
The report also stresses the need for sustainable fishing practices, noting that 34.5% of fisheries in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) are overexploited. Additionally, India ranks 122nd in terms of law and regulation effectiveness for safeguarding natural resources, a ranking impacted by recent policy changes, such as the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Act, 2023 (FCAA). This act facilitates commercial activities on forested lands and exempts certain infrastructure projects from environmental reviews, raising concerns about regulatory oversight.
India’s Environmental Performance Index (EPI) score has also declined over the past decade, indicating the urgent need for improved environmental policies and practices. The NCI highlights India’s struggles with climate change mitigation, habitat protection, and species conservation. Specific concerns include weak climate change mitigation efforts, limited strategic shifts toward renewable energy, and the absence of effective carbon pricing mechanisms. The report also calls for policies to enhance energy efficiency across industries, buildings, and transport, while maintaining and expanding carbon sinks like forests and wetlands.
The Great Nicobar Island Development Project, which involves substantial infrastructure expansion on a highly sensitive ecological site, is singled out as a significant conservation concern. Environmentalists have raised alarms about potential disruptions to the island’s unique wildlife, which includes 96 wildlife sanctuaries, 9 national parks, and a biosphere reserve.
To improve its conservation efforts, the report recommends India focus on robust conservation legislation, increased investment in its 55 tiger reserves, and the development of compensation programs to incentivize local involvement. It also stresses the importance of managing buffer zones around protected areas and strengthening habitat connectivity.
This ranking is not the first indication of India’s environmental challenges. The country has previously scored low on similar indices, including the 2024 Environmental Performance Index released by Yale’s Center for Environmental Law and Policy and Columbia’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network.
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UP: Misled by GPS navigation, car falls into river from partially constructed bridge, 3 dead
Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.
The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.
"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.
The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.
There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.
Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.
The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) November 24, 2024
