India commits to 30% protected areas in updated biodiversity plan

India has launched its updated biodiversity action plan with a goal to protect at least 30 percent of its terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine areas by 2030, in line with global biodiversity targets.

The updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), unveiled at the 16th UN Biodiversity Conference in Cali, Colombia, outlines 23 national targets aligned with the 23 global goals set under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), which was adopted at the 15th UN Biodiversity Conference in Canada in 2022.

A key goal of the KM-GBF is to protect at least 30 percent of the world's land and ocean areas by 2030. It also aims to restore degraded ecosystems, such as forests, wetlands, and rivers, to ensure they continue providing essential resources like clean water and air.

 

India, recognised as one of the 17 megadiverse countries, became a party to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1994. It harbours 7-8 percent of the world's recorded species within just 2.4 percent of the global land area.

According to the updated NBSAP, India spent around Rs 32,200 crore on biodiversity protection, conservation, and restoration from 2017-2018 to 2021-2022. The projected annual average expenditure for biodiversity conservation through 2029-2030 is estimated to be Rs 81,664.88 crore.

India has set its biodiversity goals in three main areas. The first theme of 'Reducing Threats to Biodiversity' includes eight targets. The first five targets directly address major threats to biodiversity: Land and sea use changes, pollution, species overuse, climate change, and invasive alien species.

The other three targets focus on restoring ecosystems, managing species and genetic diversity, and ensuring the legal, sustainable use of wild species.

The second theme of "Meeting People's Needs through Sustainable Use and Sharing Benefits" includes five targets aimed at sustainably managing agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, and forests.

These areas are crucial for the livelihoods of rural communities, including farmers, herders, fishers, tribal people, and forest dwellers. These targets also cover sustainable use of wild species, management of ecosystem services, better access to green spaces for urban residents, fair sharing of biodiversity benefits, encouraging public support for conservation.

The third theme of "Tools and Solutions for Implementation" includes ten targets focused on integrating biodiversity into broader development goals, promoting sustainable production and consumption, reducing waste and repurposing harmful subsidies, building skills, sharing knowledge, mobilising resources, and supporting inclusive, fair, and gender-responsive planning and decision-making in biodiversity efforts.

Under National Biodiversity Target 3, India aims to expand Protected Areas and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) to cover 30 percent of the country's landscapes. This target emphasises the crucial role of communities in biodiversity conservation while ensuring sustainable use.

India's National Biodiversity Target 2 acknowledges widespread ecosystem degradation and aims for the effective restoration of at least 30 percent of degraded terrestrial, inland water, coastal, and marine ecosystems by 2030.

"Agricultural expansion, industrialisation, linear infrastructure development, mining, urbanization, and other developmental activities, coupled with the overexploitation of natural ecosystems by resource-dependent communities, especially post-independence, have led to large-scale ecosystem degradation, reducing the ecosystem services they once provided. This makes the target a top priority for focused actions," the NBSAP said.

The NBSAP's Target 16 addresses overconsumption and waste generation as root causes of biodiversity loss. India has launched Mission Life to encourage the adoption of environmentally friendly lifestyles.

Adopted in 1992 to protect the world's biodiversity, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) requires countries to create an NBSAP, which is a key tool for conserving and sustainably using biodiversity at the national level.

Countries are also required to report their progress every four years through national reports.