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At the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025 in Abu Dhabi, India launched its National Red List Roadmap and Vision 2025–2030, marking a significant milestone in national biodiversity documentation and conservation policy. The initiativerepresents India’s commitment to establishing a comprehensive, science-based framework for assessing species and shaping long-term conservation priorities.

The National Red List Roadmap: Overview and Objectives

The National Red List Roadmap is India’s first integrated national initiative to identify, classify, and conserve threatened species across ecosystems — terrestrial, freshwater, and marine — in alignment with IUCN global standards.

It seeks to:

• Develop a nationally coordinated and inclusive red-listing system for flora and fauna.
• Generate baseline data and threat assessments to guide evidence-based policymaking.
• Strengthen India’s obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF).
• Foster collaboration among scientists, conservationists, and local communities to ensure equitable biodiversity protection.

The programme will culminate in the publication of India’s National Red Data Books for flora and fauna by 2030, creating an authoritative reference for conservation planning.

Institutional Collaboration

The roadmap is jointly prepared by:

• Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)
• Botanical Survey of India (BSI)
• IUCN-India, and
• Centre for Species Survival (CSS), India

This inter-agency collaboration ensures a unified system that combines scientific taxonomy, digital technology, and local knowledge systems to monitor and protect India’s biological diversity.

Vision 2025–2030: India’s Strategic Conservation Blueprint

The Vision 2025–2030 document provides a forward-looking framework to guide biodiversity governance over the next decade. It focuses on data-driven conservation, institutional synergy, and community participation, aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and KMGBF targets.

Key Objectives:

• Establish a centralised biodiversity database for national-level coordination.
• Enhance species identification and taxonomy through expert collaboration.
• Integrate digital tools, GIS mapping, and field surveys for real-time species monitoring.
• Build a network connecting scientific institutions, local communities, and policymakers.
• Promote inclusive and equitable participation of indigenous and local communities in conservation processes.

By 2030, India aims to complete comprehensive species assessments, update threat categories, and integrate the results into national wildlife action plans and climate strategies.

India’s Biodiversity Profile

India is recognised as one of the 17 megadiverse countries in the world and hosts four of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots — the Himalayas, Western Ghats, Indo-Burma, and Sundaland.

Key Statistics:

• Covers 2.4% of global land area but supports nearly 8% of global flora and 7.5% of global fauna.
• Houses over 104,000 faunal species, 18,000 species of flowering plants, and around 20,000 marine species.
• Approximately 28% of plant species and 30% of animal species are endemic to India.

These figures underscore India’s ecological richness and the urgency for systematic monitoring and protection.

Legal and Policy Backing

• The initiative aligns with India’s robust legal framework for biodiversity conservation, anchored in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which was amended in 2022 to extend protection to species listed under the CITES Appendices.
• The National Red List Roadmap will complement existing programmes like the National Biodiversity Mission, National Wildlife Action Plan, and Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats, ensuring that conservation decisions are guided by scientific evidence and threat analysis.

Significance for Conservation Policy

• Evidence-Based Decision-Making: The roadmap institutionalises data-backed conservation planning.
• National Accountability: Regular species assessments will help monitor progress under national and global biodiversity targets.
• Scientific Collaboration: Encourages coordination among researchers, policymakers, and conservation agencies.
• Public Engagement: Integrates traditional ecological knowledge and community-driven documentation.
• Global Alignment: Reinforces India’s commitment to the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and CBD Aichi Targets.