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As global leaders strive to protect biodiversity amid rapid development, the newly launched Nature Conservation Index (NCI) offers crucial insights into the efficacy of conservation initiatives across 180 countries.
Developed through a collaboration between BioDB.com and the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the NCI employs 25 key indicators to assess protected area coverage, endangered species, conservation legislation, and future projections.
The Nature Conservation Index is a data-driven analysis that helps governments, researchers, and organisations assess each country's progress in balancing conservation and development. The aim is to improve conservation policies for long-term biodiversity protection.
The founder and CEO of BioDB, Assaf Levy, recognised the need to simplify complex scientific data into easily digestible information to raise awareness among the general public and policymakers about the urgent issues of biodiversity loss, animal extinction, and climate change.
Findings from the Nature Conservation Index
The NCI evaluates conservation efforts using four pillars supported by 25 performance indicators that assess land management, threats to biodiversity, capacity and governance, and future trends.
The land management pillar evaluates countries' effectiveness in conserving terrestrial and marine ecosystems through protected area coverage and habitat fragmentation measures.
Threats to biodiversity are assessed using nine indicators that examine the proportion of species at risk, the extent of habitat protection, and the impact of invasive species.
The capacity and governance pillar examines countries' resources, policies, and systems for managing conservation, including their participation in international agreements and levels of political stability.
The future trends pillar provides a forward-looking assessment of countries' abilities to meet long-term conservation challenges, incorporating metrics like the Environmental Performance Index (EPI).
These pillars highlight the importance of strategic planning in biodiversity protection and emphasise the need for countries to align their conservation efforts with global sustainability goals.
Africa's unparalleled biodiversity faces relentless deforestation, pollution, and urbanisation, straining conservation efforts. Deforestation, illegal wildlife trade, and unsustainable land use imperil South and Central America's vital ecosystems, like the Amazon.
Southeast Asia's extraordinary flora and fauna face alarming deforestation and illegal wildlife trade, which are exacerbated by rapid urbanisation and industrial expansion.
Iconic species teeter on extinction due to deforestation and climate change, necessitating more aggressive conservation measures.
