Context: Wildlife Week (October 2–8) highlights successful species-recovery efforts worldwide and the need for sustained conservation action in India.
- Recent successes include the hatching of a Great Indian Bustard chick in Kutch, Gujarat, after a decade, alongside recoveries of the Iberian lynx, scimitar-horned oryx and saiga antelope globally.
India’s Species-Recovery Framework
- The Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH) scheme supports recovery programmes for 24 identified species and their habitats, with States responsible for research, habitat improvement, protection and community participation; examples include the Great Indian Bustard, Sangai, dugong and Hangul.
- India’s National Red List Assessment is intended to identify species requiring focused conservation beyond the currently prioritised 24 species.
Why India Needs a Comprehensive Red List
- India accounts for only 2.4% of global land area, but supports nearly 8% of global flora and 7.5% of fauna; it is one of 17 megadiverse countries and contains parts of 4 of the world’s 36 biodiversity hotspots.
- Around 28% of Indian plant species and over 30% of animal species are endemic to India, highlighting the country's global conservation responsibility.
- Of 7,516 Indian animal species assessed by the IUCN Red List, 1,012 are threatened under the categories Vulnerable, Endangered and Critically Endangered.
- However, these assessments cover only 7.2% of India’s documented animal species, meaning the current figure does not represent the full scale of extinction risk.
- India launched its National Red List Roadmap at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, Abu Dhabi (2025), targeting National Red Data Books for plants and animals by 2030.
What is the IUCN Red List?
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species assesses extinction risk using standardised categories such as Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered and Critically Endangered, helping governments prioritise conservation action.
State-Level Conservation Successes
- Nilgiri Tahr – Tamil Nadu & Kerala
- Project Nilgiri Tahr combines population surveys, radio-collaring, habitat assessment and mapping, with support from institutions including WII, IUCN and TANUVAS; the population recorded increased from 1,303 in 2025 to 1,364 in 2026.
- Vultures – Multi-State Conservation
- Vulture recovery demonstrates the importance of conservation breeding, safer habitats, monitoring and public awareness, with the ban on veterinary diclofenac being a critical intervention because of its role in catastrophic vulture mortality.
- The Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre, Pinjore, run by the Haryana Forest Department and Bombay Natural History Society, conserves white-rumped, long-billed and slender-billed vultures; Madhya Pradesh recorded 12,981 vultures in 2025, up from 8,397 in 2019, while coordinated surveys cover Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
- Asiatic Lion – Gujarat
- Long-term habitat management, scientific monitoring and community participation have supported recovery, with the lion population increasing from 674 in 2020 to 891 in 2025 and expanding across the Saurashtra landscape.
- Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros – Assam
- Grassland management, invasive-species control, research, translocation and anti-poaching measures have supported rhino recovery; community participation around Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary has strengthened monitoring, livelihood support and human-wildlife conflict reduction.
- Clouded Leopard – Meghalaya
- Meghalaya’s conservation plan combines habitat restoration, scientific monitoring, frontline training and community participation, with 14 priority landscapes identified to maintain habitat connectivity across the Northeast.
- Dugong – Tamil Nadu
- Tamil Nadu established India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve, covering 448.34 sq km of Palk Bay and its seagrass habitat.
- A 2026 WII assessment estimated 270 dugongs—158 in Palk Bay and 112 in the Gulf of Mannar—providing a baseline for future monitoring.
- Fishermen who release dugongs caught in nets can suffer gear losses; government compensation for damaged nets incentivises community participation.
- Snow Leopard – Himalayan Region
- India’s first scientific snow leopard population assessment in 2024 estimated 718 individuals.
- In Himachal Pradesh, women from Kibber have worked with Forest Department teams, Snow Leopard Trust and Nature Conservation Foundation in camera trapping, population monitoring and protection activities, demonstrating the importance of local stewardship.
Why Political and Institutional Support Matters
- State-level political commitment is crucial for prioritising species recovery, coordinating departments, sustaining budgets and integrating conservation into land-use, infrastructure and livelihood decisions.
- Conservation programmes require long-term funding, scientific monitoring, trained field staff and adaptive management, as species recovery may take years and programmes may need modification after setbacks.
- Less-publicised species often struggle for funding; dedicated State-level funds can bring together government, industry, philanthropy and scientific institutions. Tamil Nadu’s Endangered Species Conservation Fund focuses on species such as the mahseer, striped hyena, Madras hedgehog, lion-tailed macaque and hornbill.
International Example: Phoenix Species Project
- The Phoenix Species Project, launched in 2026 by Re:wild and the Bezos Earth Fund, has committed $200 million to recover 100 highly threatened species, supporting conservationists, Indigenous peoples and local communities over multiple years.
- The initiative illustrates that species recovery requires predictable, long-term financing for habitats, monitoring and local conservation personnel.
