India updates biodiversity action plan, to conserve 30pc areas by 2030

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu):  India has updated its biodiversity action plan and has committed to conserve 30 per cent of its terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine areas by 2030. The updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) was unveiled at the 16th UN Biodiversity Conference in Cali, Colombia, and had 23 national targets. The targets are aligned with the 23 global goals set under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF) -- adopted at the 15th UN Biodiversity Conference in Canada in 2022.

Protecting at least 30 per cent of the world's land and ocean areas by 2030 is a key goal of KM-GBF. It will also work to restore degraded ecosystems, such as forests, wetlands, and rivers, to ensure they continue providing essential resources like clean water and air. The updated NBSAP showed that from 2017-2018 to 2021-2022, India spent around Rs. 32,200 crore on biodiversity protection, conservation, and restoration. It projects that the annual expenditure for biodiversity conservation through 2029-2030 will reach Rs. 81,664.88 crore. India’s biodiversity strategy focuses on themes such as reducing threats to biodiversity; meeting people’s needs through sustainable use and benefit sharing and developing tools and solutions for implementation.

Reducing threats includes eight targets focused on major biodiversity threats, such as land and sea use changes, pollution, overuse of species, climate change, and invasive species, as well as restoring ecosystems, conserving species diversity, and enabling the sustainable use of wild species. The theme of meeting people’s needs focuses on supporting the sustainable management of agriculture, fisheries, forests, and animal husbandry -- vital to the livelihoods of rural populations, including farmers, herders, fishers, and indigenous communities. It also stresses sustainable use of wild species, ecosystem service management, equitable access to green spaces, fair sharing of biodiversity benefits, and public support for conservation. The solution-providing theme includes 10 targets focused on adding biodiversity to development objectives, encouraging sustainable production and consumption, reducing waste, repurposing subsidies, fostering skills and knowledge-sharing, mobilising resources, and ensuring inclusive and fair planning in biodiversity conservation.