India has launched a revised National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) to safeguard 30 per cent of the country’s terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems by 2030. Unveiled at the 16th United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Cali, Colombia, the NBSAP is part of India’s commitment to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) and its 23 comprehensive targets, which serve as a national response to the 23 global biodiversity targets established during the 2022 UN Biodiversity Conference in Canada.
India’s updated biodiversity plan, structured around three core themes, seeks to address both the escalating threats to biodiversity and the sustainable needs of its communities. This approach underscores India’s focus on balancing conservation with socioeconomic needs, particularly for rural and indigenous populations.
1. Reducing threats to Biodiversity
The first theme of the NBSAP tackles major threats to biodiversity through eight specific targets aimed at reducing land and sea use changes, pollution, and unsustainable species exploitation. In addition, this theme seeks to address climate change impacts, control invasive species, and promote ecosystem restoration. The strategy emphasises conserving species diversity and enabling the sustainable use of wild species, aiming for a comprehensive approach to curtail biodiversity loss.
2. Meeting people’s needs through sustainable use and benefit-sharing
Comprising five targets, the second theme highlights the importance of sustainable management in sectors crucial to the livelihoods of millions of Indians, including agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and animal husbandry. These efforts are especially vital for farmers, herders, fishers, and indigenous communities. The targets under this theme also address ecosystem service management, equitable green space access, fair benefit-sharing, and bolstering public support for conservation.
3. Tools and solutions for implementation
The final theme focuses on practical implementation strategies to achieve the ambitious biodiversity targets. It includes ten targets centred on integrating biodiversity into development goals, promoting sustainable production and consumption, repurposing subsidies, reducing waste, fostering knowledge-sharing, and mobilising resources. The plan also stresses inclusive and fair planning processes, recognising the crucial role local communities play in conservation efforts.
Key conservation targets
Among the 23 national targets, two prominent objectives stand out:
-National Biodiversity Target 3: This target is focused on expanding Protected Areas and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) to cover 30 per cent of India’s landscapes. This effort highlights the essential role of local communities in sustainable conservation practices.
– National Biodiversity Target 2: By 2030, India aims to restore 30 per cent of its degraded terrestrial, freshwater, coastal, and marine ecosystems, addressing the loss of ecosystem services caused by degradation over the years.
Further, Target 16 emphasises reducing overconsumption and waste, which are significant contributors to biodiversity decline, particularly in urban areas.
Background and global context
The revised NBSAP aligns with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework’s objective to protect at least 30 per cent of the planet’s land and oceanic ecosystems by 2030. Additionally, it stresses the restoration of degraded ecosystems, including forests, rivers, and wetlands, to preserve essential resources such as clean water and air. Since independence, extensive ecosystem degradation driven by agricultural expansion, industrialisation, infrastructure development, mining, and urbanisation has strained India’s natural resources, underscoring the urgency of restoration efforts.
According to the revised action plan, India invested approximately Rs 32,200 crore in biodiversity conservation between 2017-2018 and 2021-2022, and projected annual spending through 2029-2030 is estimated to reach Rs 81,664.88 crore. This significant increase reflects India’s commitment to intensifying conservation efforts in the coming years.
India’s Mission LiFE initiative, launched in recent years, encourages citizens to adopt sustainable lifestyles. By aligning with the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity—first adopted in 1992, which mandates that member countries develop NBSAPs—India underscores its role in global conservation. The Convention also requires countries to submit progress reports every four years to assess their efforts in protecting biodiversity.
India’s updated strategy not only contributes to the global biodiversity goals but also reflects a national determination to reverse the alarming rates of biodiversity loss, ensuring that both natural ecosystems and the communities dependent on them can thrive for future generations.
