Introducing the Nature Conservation Index
There’s a new tool which offers a data-driven assessment of biodiversity in 180 countries, and it gives some fascinating and intriguing results.
It’s called the Nature Conservation Index and it gives insights into the effectiveness of conservation efforts in 180 countries.
The idea is to help evaluate protected area coverage, species at risk, conservation laws and also future trends. And the aim is to help governments, researchers and organisations identify areas of concern and improve conservation policies for long-term sustainability biodiversity protection. So it will be something they can use to identify what’s going well and what needs improving so that more effective decisions can be taken to protect earth’s biodiversity and natural resources.
It was developed by BioDB.com, in collaboration with the Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
The 180 countries have been ranked for nature conservation, and the results are intriguing.
The top ten are:
- Luxembourg
- Estonia
- Denmark
- Finland
- UK
- Zimbabwe
- Australia
- Switzerland
- Romania
- Costa Rica
Luxembourg scored 70.8, whilst the UK got 66.6. South Africa is 25th on the list, the USA is 37th and Canada is 57th.
However, lurking at the bottom, you’ll find:
- Marshall Islands
- Lebanon
- Bangladesh
- Bahrain
- Togo
- India
- Micronesia
- Iraq
- Turkey
- Kiribati
The video below gives you an idea of how this index can work - it is talking about India's position and how it came to be 176th out of 180...
You can also get rankings for different aspects of conservation, such as Marine Protection Areas and Government effectiveness – the UK came 24th on that - you can see the full table here
The Index uses 4 key pillars and a framework of 25 performance indicators to give a detailed, quantitative analysis of biodiversity and sustainability. The ultimate goal is to provide an assessment of how well countries are balancing development and conservation of their land and marine resources.
The 4 key pillars are...
- Land Management.
For instance, how effectively is each country managing and conserving their terrestrial and marine ecosystems? These include protected area coverage, marine protected areas, fragmentation, connectedness, the percentage of land that’s been converted for urban, industrial and agricultural use and the use of sustainable Nitrogen pesticides - Threats to Biodiversity
The 9 main indicators measure how countries are working to protect wildlife and their habitats, and efforts being made to conserve different species. It also ranks how much invasive species are making problems for local ecosystems. - Capacity and Governance:
Does the country have the right tools, resources, and systems in place. How strong and effective is each country’s conservation management e.g. political stability, levels of corruption, population growth, human development, the implementation and enforcement of conservation policies. - Future Trends
This pillar focuses on protecting and preparing for future conservation challenges, and it includes Yale’s Environmental Performance Index (EPI) – that helps project how well countries will manage their environmental responsibilities in future. It allows countries to stay on track with both conservation and sustainability goals, and helps them prepare for possible difficulties and to plan for those.
If you look at say the UK and it's position on the list, and click on it, it will take you through to the various scores that the UK got in these areas, and also how it performanced in the indicators.
Have a look for a country on the list and see where it ranks here.
So what can you do with your findings? Can you get involved? The answers are, there's plenty you can do and yes, you can get involved.
Here are ways you can get involved:
- Educate yourself and others – be informed about the issues and share your knowledge with others.
- Join in local conservation efforts. Wherever you are, there will be something happening and it’s very invigorating to join in with other like-minded people who want to make a difference and help nature. Find out what is going on in your area, if you haven't done already, and see what you can do to help. Sometimes this may be a one off e.g. helping with a tree planting session, or other times it may be a frequent commitment.
- Advocate for policies which help nature and the environment. Polar Bears International have information on how you can have discussions with others about climate change for instance.
- Support environmental education. We need to foster a new generation of young people and individuals who care about conservation and nature – there are some amazing examples of what young people are doing.
- Donate or fundraise – conservation projects need our support, whether it’s to help purchase acres for local conservation groups to manage or raising funds to support wildlife rangers and ensure they have the funds and equipment they need to fight the illegal wildlife trade. There are plenty of examples (I hope!) around this website and of course the great thing about the Internet is that you can help a cause or appeal on the other side of the world, as well as in your own area.
- Businesses can advocate for sustainable practices which reduce biodiversity conservation, perhaps taking part in team building days which help a wildlife charity, for instance. (The link shows examples in the UK.)
- Stay informed – keep up to date as much as you can. Get updates from the NCI and other conservation efforts. You’d be amazed at how many people want to help and join in a bigger effort.
Every single one of us can do our bit, and it's never been so important that we all do. Nature needs us, wildlife needs us and earth cannot look after us if we don't look after nature.
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