NEW DELHI: The country’s protected area coverage climbed from 4.90 per cent in 2014 to 5.03 per cent in 2021, according to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India. According to the ministry press release, the increased protected areas (PAs) coverage includes an increase from 740 PAs with an area of 1,61,081.62 square km in 2014 to 981 PAs with an area of 1,71,921 square km now.
According to the report, the population of various species such as tiger, Asiatic lion, bigger one-horned rhinoceros, Asian elephants, and others has increased as wildlife health has been prioritised in order to aggressively monitor zoonotic illnesses. India has taken the lead in the conservation of migratory birds along the Central Asian Flyway by hosting a two-day workshop in October 2021, with Central Asian Flyway (CAF) Range countries on the subject. The number of Ramsar sites (Wetlands of International Importance) in India has climbed to 47, encompassing an area of 10,90,230 hectares, with 21 new sites approved between 2019 and 2021, according to the ministry. “In South Asia, India has the greatest number of Ramsar sites. A dedicated wetlands web portal was designed and released on October 2, 2021,” the release said. Besides this, ten beaches in seven states and one union territory have been developed to international standards and have been awarded the renowned Blue Flag accreditation for their environmentally sound management and environmentally sustainable infrastructures with suitable safety measures.