India has launched its National Red List Roadmap at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, marking a major milestone in biodiversity conservation and species protection. Inaugurating the programme, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh said the roadmap reflects India’s “extraordinary efforts in biodiversity documentation, threat assessment, and conservation.”

Unveiling India’s Vision 2025–2030 for the National Red List Assessment (NRLA), the Minister described it as a comprehensive framework developed by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), in collaboration with IUCN-India and the Centre for Species Survival, India. The vision sets out a nationally coordinated, inclusive, and science-based approach to assess and monitor the conservation status of India’s species.

Addressing delegates, Singh highlighted that India is among the world’s 17 megadiverse nations, home to four of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots — the Himalayas, Western Ghats, Indo-Burma, and Sundaland. Although India occupies just 2.4 per cent of global land area, it harbours nearly 8 per cent of global flora and 7.5 per cent of global fauna, with 28 per cent of plants and over 30 per cent of animals endemic to the country.

He added that India’s commitment to biodiversity protection is underpinned by robust legal frameworks, notably the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which was amended in 2022 to extend protection to species listed under the CITES appendices.

“To meet our commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF), India has launched the National Red List Assessment initiative aligned with IUCN global standards,” Singh said. The initiative will establish a nationally coordinated red-listing system, enabling more accurate threat assessments, conservation planning, and policy development.

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

Providing further details, Singh announced that the goal is to publish National Red Data Books for both flora and fauna by 2030, forming the foundation for evidence-based conservation and development planning. He noted that India’s assessment will follow the globally recognised IUCN guidelines, ensuring scientific rigour and international credibility.

The NRLA will be the first-ever national multi-taxa assessment of its kind, led by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), with ZSI and BSI serving as nodal agencies. While other Asian countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and China have conducted similar studies, India’s initiative will stand out for its scale, inclusivity, and collaboration, bringing together the nation’s leading taxonomists, conservation biologists, and policymakers.

Singh underscored that species identification and taxonomy will remain central to this initiative, where India’s scientific institutions have long demonstrated excellence. The NRLA, he said, will foster stronger collaboration between researchers, policymakers, and conservation practitioners, ensuring that future biodiversity decisions are guided by science and inclusivity.

“Through this initiative, India reaffirms its enduring commitment to biodiversity conservation and the global sustainability agenda. The National Red List Assessment embodies a science-based, equitable, and people-centric approach to conservation,” Singh concluded.

He added that with data-driven strategies, strong partnerships, and shared purpose, India will continue to inspire global action to protect our shared natural heritage.