India Unveils Ambitious Biodiversity Action Plan to Protect 30% of Ecosystems by 2030

Protection of Biodiversity
November | 2024

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In a significant move aligning with global conservation efforts, India has introduced an updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) aiming to safeguard 30% of its terrestrial, inland water, coastal, and marine ecosystems by 2030. This initiative was announced at the 16th UN Biodiversity Conference in Cali, Colombia, reflecting India's commitment to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) established in 2022.

The NBSAP delineates 23 national targets corresponding to the global goals set under the KM-GBF. These targets are organized into three primary themes:

1. Reducing Threats to Biodiversity: Addressing challenges such as land and sea use changes, pollution, overexploitation of species, climate change, and invasive alien species.

2. Meeting People's Needs through Sustainable Use and Benefit-Sharing: Focusing on the sustainable management of agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, and forests, which are vital for the livelihoods of rural communities, including farmers, herders, fishers, tribal people, and forest dwellers.

3. Tools and Solutions for Implementation: Emphasizing the integration of biodiversity into broader development goals, promoting sustainable production and consumption, reducing waste, repurposing harmful subsidies, building skills, sharing knowledge, mobilizing resources, and supporting inclusive, fair, and gender-responsive planning and decision-making in biodiversity efforts.

Recognized as one of the 17 megadiverse countries, India harbors 7-8% of the world's recorded species within just 2.4% of the global land area. The updated NBSAP reports that India invested approximately Rs 32,200 crore in biodiversity protection, conservation, and restoration from 2017-2018 to 2021-2022, with projected annual average expenditure for biodiversity conservation through 2029-2030 estimated at Rs 81,664.88 crore.

Key objectives include expanding Protected Areas and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) to cover 30% of the country's landscapes and restoring at least 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030. These efforts underscore India's dedication to preserving its rich biodiversity while promoting sustainable development.