The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: India is among the five worst performers in conservation efforts as per the Global Nature Conservation Index 2024 released on October 24.
The 2024 Index covers 180 countries and ranks India at 176, with a score of 45.5. Faring worse than India are Micronesia (177), Iraq (178), Turkey (179) and Kiribati (180).
Index to measure conservation efforts
The Nature Conservation Index (NCI) assesses the effectiveness of countries’ conservation efforts by taking into account 25 indicators. These include land management, threats to biodiversity, capacity and governance and future trends based on already available environmental and conservation indices like Yale’s Environmental Performance Index.
Several indicators make up each theme: for instance, land management looks at coverage of protected areas (both terrestrial and marine), representativeness of protected areas, connectedness of landscapes or lack of it (which is an indicator of habitat fragmentation), the extent of converted land (urban, industrial, agricultural) and sustainable practices in nitrogen and pesticide use.
The Index is the first ever of its kind, and will be updated annually by The Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and non-profit website BioDB.com which are collaborating to develop the Index. According to BioDB.com, the NCI “is a tool that shows how well countries are protecting their natural environments”.
“What if players played a game without knowing the rules or having any idea of the scores? Whether it’s a race, a game, or an exam, rules, scores, and grades are essential to help participants understand their performance, set goals, and measure their success or areas for improvement,” said Uri Roll, a professor at the Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, who was also part of team that developed the Index
Similarly, the NCI was created to provide a standardised, global assessment of conservation efforts, provide actionable insights to improve global conservation strategies, and support informed decision-making to enhance global biodiversity protection and sustainable development,” added Roll.
India among worst five performers
As per the Index, India is faring very poorly. India has a score of 45.5 out of 100, and is therefore ranked 176 among 180 countries. Following India in overall rank as per the Index are Micronesia (177), Iraq (178), Turkey (179) and Kiribati (180). Led by Luxembourg, five European nations are among the top five in rank.
At rank 15, and with a score of 63.1, Bhutan is the only South Asian country among the top 50 ranks. Nepal is next, at rank 60. Sri Lanka and Pakistan are also ahead of India, at ranks 90 and 151 respectively.
Per the Index, India is faring badly when it comes to the ‘Land Management’ category. Under this section, India’s score for Protected Areas – Terrestrial and Marine – are very low, at 2 and 0 respectively. Under the ‘Threats to Biodiversity’ category, India’s score for species coverage through Marine Protected Areas is also 0.
However, under the same category of Land Management, India’s score for “Ecological Representativeness of Terrestrial Protected Areas” (which captures how well protected areas reflect the full range of ecosystems and habitats within a geographical region) is 100 (out of 100) – along with more than 50 other countries such as Bangladesh, Brazil and Indonesia.
According to the Index, India also scores highest (score of 100 out of 100, and a rank of 1) – along with several other countries – in ratifying the Convention on Biological Diversity, and CITES.