India launches National Red List Assessment to map species extinction risk

India on Thursday launched a National Red List Assessment initiative to accurately assess the conservation status of its species and fulfil commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The National Red List Roadmap, unveiled at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, will create a nationally coordinated red-listing system to support conservation planning, policy making and threat mitigation, Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said.

Singh presented India's Vision 2025-2030 for the National Red List Assessment, a framework prepared by the Zoological Survey of India and the Botanical Survey of India in collaboration with IUCN-India and the Centre for Species Survival.

He said the programme aims to publish National Red Data Books for both flora and fauna by 2030, using IUCN-aligned scientific guidelines.

Speaking at the launch, the minister highlighted India's rich biodiversity, noting that the country, though it covers only 2.4 per cent of the world's land area, hosts nearly 8 per cent of global plant species and about 7.5 per cent of global animal species, with a high share of endemic species.

He said the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, strengthened in 2022 to include species listed under CITES, provides a legal backbone for conservation.

The government said the NRLA will be led by the environment ministry, with ZSI and BSI as nodal agencies.

The exercise will bring together taxonomists, conservation biologists and subject experts to ensure precise species identification and evidence-based conservation decisions.

The minister also emphasised the importance of documenting traditional knowledge as part of conservation efforts.

PTI