News: India launched its National Red List Roadmap at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, unveiling Vision 2025–2030 for the National Red List Assessment (NRLA).
About National Red List Assessment (NRLA) Initiative
- The NRLA is a nationally coordinated, inclusive, and science-based framework to assess and monitor the conservation status of Indian species, aligned with IUCN global standards.
- Prepared by: Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and Botanical Survey of India (BSI), in close collaboration with IUCN-India and the Centre for Species Survival, India.
- Lead by: NRLA is lead by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India, with ZSI and BSI as nodal agencies.
- Funding: Entirely from public funds; estimated ₹95 crore, mobilized by BSI, ZSI, IUCN-India, and Centre for Species Survival: India – Wildlife Trust of India (CSS: India – WTI).
- Aim: To establish a nationally coordinated red-listing system that provides a tool for accurate assessment, conservation planning, threat mitigation, and evidence-based policy.
- Goal: To publish National Red Data Books for both flora and fauna by 2030 and accomplish a comprehensive threat assessment of native species under IUCN guidelines.
- International cooperation: Anchored in commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF).
- Significance: The Red List strengthens India’s National Biodiversity Mission by helping policymakers set conservation priorities, guide funding allocations, and enforce wildlife protection measures under the updated National Wildlife Action Plan (2023–2032).
- India’s ecological status
- India is one of 17 megadiverse countries and hosts four biodiversity hotspots: Himalayas, Western Ghats, Indo-Burma, and Sundaland.
- With 2.4% of global land, India harbours ~8% of global flora and 7.5% of fauna; 28% plants and over 30% animals are endemic.
- Strong legal protection under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, amended in 2022 to extend protection to species listed under CITES appendices.
