National Red List Roadmap and Vision 2025–2030

Syllabus:GS3/Environment

In News

• India has officially launched its National Red List Roadmap and Vision 2025–2030 at the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025, marking a transformative step in species assessment and conservation planning. 

National Red List Roadmap and Vision 2025–2030

• It envisions publishing Red Data Books for both flora and fauna, providing authoritative documentation of threatened species.
• It is developed by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Botanical Survey of India (BSI), IUCN India, and the Centre for Species Survival.
• India aims to publish National Red Data Books for both flora and fauna by 2030. 
• Key Features 
  • It will assess nearly 11,000 species of plants and animals by 2030, including terrestrial and marine biodiversity
  • It adheres to IUCN Red List protocols and supports India’s commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
  • It includes a centralized digital platform for data collection, monitoring, and public access to conservation status.

Relevance for India

• India, one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries, is home to four of the 36 global biodiversity hotspots, the Himalayas, Western Ghats, Indo-Burma, and Sundaland. 
• It occupies just 2.4% of the world’s land area and it harbours nearly 8% of global flora and 7.5% of global fauna, with over 28% of plants and 30% of animals being endemic. 
• The Red List Roadmap fills this gap by providing baseline data, threat analysis, and conservation priorities essential for policy-making and resource allocation
• It aims to establish a nationally coordinated, science-based framework to assess the extinction risk of India’s flora and fauna.

Challenges Ahead

• Many species, especially in remote ecosystems, remain undocumented or poorly studied.
• Effective implementation requires seamless collaboration across central and state departments, research institutions, and local communities which can be difficult.
• Sustained financial and technical support is needed to train personnel, conduct field surveys, and maintain digital infrastructure.
• Infrastructure projects often intersect with ecologically sensitive zones, requiring careful policy integration.

Suggestions and Way Forward 

• India’s National Red List Roadmap is a strategic effort to protect biodiversity and support global sustainability. 
• It focuses on strengthening institutions , involving local communities, integrating data into policy-making, and collaborating with global conservation partners.
• The Red List is expected to become a cornerstone for the country’s future environmental and ecological.

Source :DD