Wakeup call on biodiversity: Degradation poses ecological, economic risks

India's revised NBS-AP has done well to set 23 well-advised targets conforming to various global biodiversity-related conventions

The 16th Conference of Parties (COP-16) to the international Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), held recently in Cali, Columbia, has proved a boon for India by spurring the government to revisit, and update, the country’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBS-AP). The earlier biodiversity management regime, drawn up initially in 1999 and amended in 2008 and 2014, had become outmoded, and needed a thorough revamp to serve the present-day needs. Its new version, presented at the COP-16, seeks to accommodate both national and global biodiversity protection agendas. Besides, it aims to address some key ecological issues and socio-economic challenges,