India has submitted its 7th National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity, assessing progress towards global biodiversity goals set for 2030.
The report finds only two of 23 national biodiversity targets are clearly on track, despite policy alignment with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
India reports gains in forest cover, ecosystem restoration and some species recovery, including tigers and rhinos.
However, land degradation, data gaps and limited conservation coverage remain major challenges for meeting biodiversity commitments.
India has submitted its 7th National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), presenting a detailed national assessment of progress towards global biodiversity goals set for 2030.
The report is the country’s official submission under the CBD, an international environmental treaty through which nations commit to conserving biological diversity and using natural resources sustainably. All parties to the convention are required to submit periodic reports outlining what actions they have taken, what progress they have achieved and what challenges remain.
India’s latest submission is of particular importance; it is the first full progress assessment since countries adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) in 2022.
The KMGBF sets out 23 global biodiversity targets to be achieved by 2030. These include conserving 30 per cent of the world’s land and seas, restoring degraded ecosystems, reducing pollution, curbing invasive species and halting human-induced species extinction.
The report evaluates India’s performance against 23 national biodiversity targets aligned with these global goals. It is also intended to serve as a “reality check” on progress since governments agreed to the new global biodiversity roadmap earlier this decade.
India is one of the world’s megadiverse countries, with ecosystems ranging from the Himalayan mountains to coastal mangroves and tropical forests, underlining the importance of the report. Its biodiversity performance has a substantial influence on global outcomes. Data from the report will feed into international assessments examining whether the world is on track to meet biodiversity commitments and identifying any gaps in monitoring systems and governance that could affect long-term conservation efforts.
The report was prepared by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), which coordinated inputs from 33 central ministries and government departments. Technical coordination was supported by the National Biodiversity Authority, with assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the Global Environment Facility’s GEF-8 Umbrella Programme. The Wildlife Institute of India was also involved in tracking progress on selected biodiversity targets.
A digital NR7 data portal was created to compile information across 142 national indicators used to assess progress. Consultations with stakeholders were held throughout 2025, followed by expert reviews and validation workshops that continued into early 2026.
Officials said the process reflects the development of a national institutional and technical framework for monitoring biodiversity outcomes.
However, the report also highlights significant challenges. Monitoring biodiversity is complex and expensive, and several new indicators still lack standardised protocols. Different ministries collect data at varying intervals, while rapid improvements in satellite technology can make comparisons across years difficult.
These factors can affect the consistency of datasets and the long-term comparability of trends.
The report provided a broad picture of policy alignment, measurable progress, data trends and gaps in India’s biodiversity strategy.
India has updated its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) so that it fully aligns with the KMGBF. The revised framework included 23 national biodiversity targets and 142 indicators, forming part of a national biodiversity monitoring system.
Officials said the process involved consultations with a wide range of stakeholders, including Indigenous communities, women’s groups, youth representatives, local governments, non-governmental organisations and private sector actors.
According to the report, India has largely completed the planning and policy alignment phase of its biodiversity commitments. But alignment alone does not guarantee success.
The real test, they said, will lie in implementation over the remainder of the decade as countries attempt to meet the 2030 biodiversity targets.
The report said India has largely completed the planning and policy alignment phase of its biodiversity commitments. However, it cautioned that alignment alone will not determine success. Implementation, it noted, will be the key factor in whether the country meets its 2030 biodiversity goals.
The document evaluated progress target by target, assessing national actions and outcomes against each of the 23 biodiversity targets aligned with the KMGBF.
Under National Biodiversity Target 1 (NBT1), which focuses on biodiversity-inclusive land and sea-use planning, the report describes steady progress. India’s forest and tree cover now stands at 827,357 square kilometres (sq km), representing 25.17 per cent of the country’s geographical area, according to the latest assessment. Between 2021 and 2023, forest and tree cover increased by 1,445.81 sq km.
Wetland inventories have been completed nationwide, Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plans are being implemented in coastal states, and eco-sensitive zones have been notified around most protected areas, the report noted.
Environmental approvals have also been streamlined through the digital clearance platform PARIVESH 2.0, which integrates several regulatory processes.
Together, these measures indicate that spatial planning tools and ecosystem mapping are becoming more institutionalised within government systems. However, the report does not quantify whether these planning mechanisms have reduced habitat fragmentation outside protected areas.
Under National Biodiversity Target 2 (NBT2), which focuses on ecosystem restoration, the report provided mixed findings. According to the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas, about 29.77 per cent of India’s geographical area — roughly 97 million hectares — is currently undergoing degradation.
India has pledged to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030 under the Bonn Challenge. The report states that 24.1 million hectares have already been restored or are under restoration.
The country’s forest carbon stock has increased to 7,285.5 million tonnes, representing a rise of about 81.5 million tonnes compared with the previous assessment. Mangrove cover has also increased modestly, and the area under bamboo has expanded by 1,540 sq km.
On paper, restoration efforts appear close to the national target. However, the report points out that nearly a third of India’s land continues to experience degradation.
This suggests that while restoration activities are taking place, new degradation may be occurring simultaneously. The report also noted that different methods are used to measure degraded land, which makes it harder to determine the true scale of progress.
National Biodiversity Target 3 (NBT3) addressed conservation across land, inland waters and marine ecosystems, in line with the global “30x30” goal of conserving 30 per cent of the planet by 2030.
India reports continued expansion of its protected area network, along with regular management effectiveness evaluations for national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. At present, a little over 5 per cent of India’s geographical area is designated as formal protected areas. Additional forest categories contribute to broader conservation coverage.
Marine protected areas have also increased, and the government is identifying Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECM) outside the formal protected area system.
However, the report did not clearly state whether India will be able to reach 30 per cent conservation coverage by 2030, suggesting that a significant expansion of protected or conserved areas may still be required.
The report’s assessment of National Biodiversity Target 4 (NBT4), which focuses on species recovery, highlights several well-known conservation successes. India’s tiger population stands at 3,167, reflecting continued recovery. Numbers of Asiatic lions have also increased, while one-horned rhinoceros populations remain stable or are growing.
For the first time, the country has carried out a national assessment of snow leopard populations, and conservation breeding programmes for vultures are ongoing. While these examples show positive outcomes for several flagship species, the report provided limited data on lesser-known species and other taxa, making it harder to assess their biodiversity trends.
The report also examines progress in integrating biodiversity into agriculture and production landscapes. Trees outside forests (TOF) now make up a significant share of India’s total tree cover, while agroforestry occupies about 8.65 per cent of the country’s geographical area.
This suggests growing efforts to incorporate biodiversity considerations into agricultural systems. Mangrove expansion and rising forest carbon stocks also contribute to climate-related biodiversity gains.
However, the report provided limited quantitative analysis on issues such as pesticide reduction and nutrient runoff, both of which play an important role in biodiversity loss within agricultural ecosystems.
The report highlights several structural challenges in biodiversity monitoring and governance.
Biodiversity data, it said, is still scattered across multiple departments, and there are no uniform methods yet for measuring several of the newer indicators.
Data is also collected at different time intervals, making it difficult to track trends consistently. In addition, the report points to limited financial and technical capacity, as well as the growing impacts of climate change. Increasing floods, droughts and forest fires are already affecting ecosystems across the country.
India’s Seventh National Report suggests that while the country has made measurable progress in certain areas, significant challenges remain in meeting the full set of biodiversity targets by 2030.
Of the 23 national biodiversity targets, only two, NBT1 (biodiversity-inclusive land and sea-use planning) and NBT2 (ecosystem restoration), are clearly identified as being on track.
For most of the remaining targets, the report focuses on policies, programmes and ongoing initiatives, rather than providing clear projections on whether they will be achieved by the end of the decade.
In areas such as conservation coverage, species recovery beyond flagship species, invasive species control and pollution reduction, the report highlights ongoing efforts but offers limited quantitative evidence that the targets are currently on track.
While the report noted that India has developed a stronger policy and monitoring framework for biodiversity conservation, it also acknowledges continuing pressures on ecosystems, including land degradation and biodiversity loss outside protected areas.