In the era of the Sixth Mass Extinction, habitat loss, pollution, invasive species, and hunting are all contributing to biodiversity loss – wildlife and plant populations are diminishing at an unprecedented pace.

The Nature Conservation Index (NCI) is a valuable tool for assessing the effectiveness of countries’ conservation efforts.

The NCI uses four key indicators to provide a detailed look at biodiversity and conservation across 194 countries. It examines various factors like protected area coverage, species at risk, conservation laws, and future trends. This detailed view helps us spot problems, track progress, and make better decisions about protecting our planet and promoting sustainable development, ultimately supporting a more effective global approach to biodiversity protection and sustainable development.

Use this tool to stay informed about global environmental protection and sustainability rankings. Our data offers an unadjusted, straightforward comparison of countries, helping you understand and address biodiversity challenges worldwide.

How We Build This Index

The Nature Conservation Index uses four key pillars and a framework of 25 performance indicators to provide a detailed, quantitative analysis of biodiversity and sustainability. The parameters cover a wide range of factors, including protected area coverage, species threat levels, conservation legislation, and projections of future trends.

To obtain nuanced insights into the state of biodiversity, we took into account these four pillars:

Land Management

This evaluation aims to assess countries’ efforts in effectively managing and conserving their terrestrial and marine ecosystems. It consists of seven indicators such as % Protected Area (PA) coverage of terrestrial areas, Protected area representativeness , % Marine Protected Area (MPA) coverage of national waters and EEZs, Fragmentation / Connectedness, % converted land (urban, industrial, agricultural), sustainable Nitrogen pesticide use.

The ultimate goal is to provide an assessment of how well countries are balancing development and conservation of their land and marine resources.

Threats to Biodiversity

This pillar uses six main indicators to measure how countries are working to protect wildlife and their habitats. These assess the proportion of species at risk, the extent of species protection by protected areas, and trends in declining species populations. They also consider the specific efforts being made to conserve different species and evaluate the
condition of fish populations in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), as well as the impact of fisheries pressure in the High Seas. Lastly, we rank the extent to which invasive species are causing problems for local ecosystems.

Overall, a detailed overview of efforts to conserve species and manage biodiversity is represented.

Capacity and Governance

Does the country have the right tools, resources, and systems in place, i.e., the strength and effectiveness of a country’s conservation management?

It includes indicators such as how much is spent on conservation relative to the country’s GDP, the impact of conservation-related cultural values and laws, and whether the country has signed global environmental agreements like CBD and CITES. Political stability and the effectiveness of the government are also important for implementing and enforcing conservation policies. Low levels of corruption are necessary for proper fund utilization. Government effectiveness, democracy, population growth, and human development are also considered.

These factors show how strong governance is in dealing with conservation and sustainability issues.

Future Trends

This pillar focuses on predicting and preparing for future conservation challenges. It includes Yale’s Environmental Performance Index (EPI), which helps project how well countries are expected to manage their environmental responsibilities in the future. This factor allows countries to stay on track with their conservation and sustainability goals and helps them predict and plan for upcoming difficulties.

Who are we?

Nature Conservation Index is a collaboration of the website BioDB.com, a non-profit, and…

BioDB is a recently established nonprofit platform, focused on raising awareness and mobilizing funds for specific non-governmental organizations (NGOs) dedicated to wildlife conservation.

Who we are?

We are the champions, my friend.

Where are you from?

I’m from here.

How are you?

I’m fine.

Contact us here: nci@biodb.com

July 2024.