Why is it in the news?
India submitted its 7th National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The report assesses progress towards national biodiversity targets aligned with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Category: Environment
Important Points:
● The report evaluates progress toward 23 National Biodiversity Targets (NBT) and 142 indicators.
● It is India’s first full assessment since the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted in 2022.
● The report was prepared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with inputs from multiple institutions.
● India’s forest and tree cover stands at about 25.17% of geographical area (827,357 sq km).
● Forest cover increased by about 1,445.81 sq km between 2021 and 2023.
● India has restored or placed under restoration 24.1 million hectares under the Bonn Challenge commitment of 26 million hectares.
● Forest carbon stock increased to about 7,285.5 million tonnes.
● Only about 5% of India’s geographical area is currently under formal protected areas.
● Land degradation affects about 29.77% of India’s geographical area.