National Red List Assessment of Indian Flora and Fauna

Why in news?

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change unveiled the roadmap for the national-level assessment on World Congress of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at Abu Dhabi.

• It is a first-of-its-kind assessment of nearly 11,000 species of plants and animals and assess how vulnerable they are to extinction.
• Aim – To establish a nationally coordinated, participatory and upgradable ‘Red Listing’ system that accurately reflects the conservation status of India’s biodiversity.
• Goal – To publish National Red Data Books on flora and fauna by 2030, forming a central resource for conservation planning and threat mitigation.
• Conducted by – Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in collaboration with IUCN India.
• Funding – The project will be entirely funded using public funds, with an estimated budget of Rs. 95 crore and mobilized by  BSI, ZSI, IUCN India and Center for Species Survival: India - Wildlife Trust of India (CSS: India - WTI).
• Methodology – The assessment will use the globally recognized methodology of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
• Create a database – The project will create a centralized, online database of the assessment findings.
• It plans to complete assessments for at least 11,000 species, with 7,000 species of flora and 4,000 species of fauna.
• Prioritize Species – The project will prioritize assessments for species that are endemic, threatened, or legally protected.
• Align with – India’s commitment under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF).

India is home to approximately 8% of global plant species and 7.5% of global animal species.

• Significance – This assessment helps policymakers and wildlife biologists shape conservation recovery plans for those on the brink of extinction and focus resources on such species.

Living Planet Report (2024) – A critical decline in global biodiversity, reporting a 73% decrease in the average population sizes of 5,495 vertebrate species between 1970 and 2020.

References

1. The Hindu | India to launch ‘Red List’ survey
2. Indian Express | India to prepare ‘red list’ to assess extinction risk