Only one Indian national park rated ‘good’ by IUCN: Concerns over ecological governance

Environmental policy expert Shankar Sharma has written to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and its affiliated institutions, expressing grave concern over India’s deteriorating ecological health. Citing the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s latest global review, which found that only Khangchendzonga National Park received a “Good” rating among 107 national parks, Sharma warned that the findings reveal a “serious concern for the overall health of the country’s flora, fauna, and environment.”

Sharma noted that India’s two globally recognized biodiversity hotspots — the Western Ghats and the Eastern Himalayas — continue to face “continuous desecration of their ecological sanctity.” He criticised the apparent failure of statutory and research bodies under the MoEF&CC, such as the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), and National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), for not preventing or publicly opposing widespread deforestation and forest diversions even within protected areas.

Referring to recent media reports, Sharma highlighted that “over 500 projects in India’s protected areas and eco-sensitive zones were cleared by the National Board for Wildlife between 2014 and 2018,” and that the country’s forest and tree cover remains at about 22%, far below the 33% target of the National Forest Policy. “It should shock any rational observer that none of these specialised bodies are seen as truly concerned about the continuous loss of flora and fauna,” he said.

Drawing attention to the proposed 2000 MW pumped storage project in the Sharavathi LTM Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka, Sharma alleged that authorities were “ignoring serious ecological warnings” despite field reports highlighting rich biodiversity in the project zone. “The Ministry’s in-principle nod to this project, which will destroy nearly 400 acres of tropical rainforest, represents a deplorable disregard for scientific and constitutional duties,” he stated.

Sharma also referred to the State of Forest Report 2023, which recorded over 46,000 sq km of forest loss within a decade, and to the UNEP Global Foresight Report on Planetary Health, stressing that India faces growing threats from deforestation, desertification, and biodiversity loss. “If the MoEF&CC and its subordinate institutions continue to ignore credible scientific warnings, the very purpose of maintaining so many specialised agencies at public expense will be questioned,” he cautioned.

Calling for a complete policy review, Sharma urged the Ministry to ensure that statutory bodies under its purview “take their constitutional and environmental responsibilities seriously” to safeguard India’s remaining forests and biodiversity.