NCI 2024
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    Conservation Legislation

    It refers to the laws and regulations enacted to protect, manage, and sustain natural resources and biodiversity. These legal frameworks are critical for setting the boundaries and guidelines for environmental protection, including the designation of protected areas, land use regulation, and wildlife management. Effective conservation legislation is essential for preventing habitat destruction, controlling pollution, conserving endangered species, and ensuring sustainable use of natural resources.

    The strength and comprehensiveness of conservation legislation vary widely between countries and regions, reflecting differing environmental priorities and governance capacities. Clear definitions, enforceable penalties, and public participation and accountability mechanisms characterize robust legislation. It also adapts to emerging challenges such as climate change and invasive species. Successful conservation laws are supported by strong enforcement and monitoring systems, ensuring that legal provisions translate into practical conservation outcomes.

    The higher the score, the better the country ranks for this parameter.

    The table is sorted from the highest score to the lowest:

    Rank Country Score Change
    1
    Chile    		 100 N/A
    1
    Norway    		 100 N/A
    3
    New Zealand    		 94 N/A
    4
    Mauritania    		 79 N/A
    5
    Iceland    		 78 N/A
    6
    Kuwait    		 77 N/A
    7
    Kiribati    		 76 N/A
    8
    Maldives    		 72 N/A
    9
    Marshall Islands    		 70 N/A
    10
    Mozambique    		 70 N/A
    11
    Comoros    		 68 N/A
    12
    Guinea-Bissau    		 68 N/A
    13
    Philippines    		 67 N/A
    14
    Solomon Islands    		 64 N/A
    15
    Micronesia    		 63 N/A
    16
    Oman    		 63 N/A
    17
    Portugal    		 63 N/A
    18
    Guinea    		 62 N/A
    19
    Japan    		 62 N/A
    20
    Russia    		 62 N/A
    21
    Senegal    		 62 N/A
    22
    Gabon    		 60 N/A
    23
    Seychelles    		 60 N/A
    24
    Bahrain    		 59 N/A
    25
    Chad    		 59 N/A
    26
    Madagascar    		 59 N/A
    27 Italy 58 N/A
    28
    Peru    		 58 N/A
    29
    Tonga    		 58 N/A
    30
    Mexico    		 57 N/A
    31
    Gambia    		 56 N/A
    32
    Argentina    		 55 N/A
    33
    Brazil    		 54 N/A
    34
    Cape Verde    		 54 N/A
    35
    Denmark    		 53 N/A
    36
    Eritrea    		 53 N/A
    37
    Ireland    		 53 N/A
    38
    Brunei    		 52 N/A
    39
    France    		 52 N/A
    40
    Namibia    		 52 N/A
    41
    Papua New Guinea    		 52 N/A
    42
    Saudi Arabia    		 52 N/A
    43
    Trinidad and Tobago    		 52 N/A
    44
    St. Vincent and the Grenadines    		 51 N/A
    45
    Tanzania    		 51 N/A
    46
    United States    		 51 N/A
    47
    Grenada    		 50 N/A
    48
    Angola    		 49 N/A
    49
    Liberia    		 49 N/A
    50
    Sierra Leone    		 49 N/A
    51
    Vietnam    		 49 N/A
    52
    South Korea    		 48 N/A
    53
    Suriname    		 48 N/A
    54
    Thailand    		 47 N/A
    55
    Belize    		 46 N/A
    56
    Ivory Coast    		 45 N/A
    57
    Benin    		 44 N/A
    58
    Cameroon    		 44 N/A
    59
    Indonesia    		 44 N/A
    60
    Kazakhstan    		 44 N/A
    61
    Morocco    		 44 N/A
    62
    Vanuatu    		 44 N/A
    63
    Bahamas    		 43 N/A
    64
    Central Af. Rep.    		 43 N/A
    65
    Finland    		 43 N/A
    66
    Mauritius    		 43 N/A
    67
    Myanmar    		 43 N/A
    68
    Romania    		 43 N/A
    69
    Spain    		 43 N/A
    70
    Ukraine    		 43 N/A
    71
    Belarus    		 42 N/A
    72
    DR Congo    		 42 N/A
    73
    Nicaragua    		 42 N/A
    74
    United Kingdom    		 42 N/A
    75
    Antigua and Barbuda    		 41 N/A
    76
    Australia    		 41 N/A
    77
    Egypt    		 41 N/A
    78
    Lebanon    		 41 N/A
    79
    Sudan    		 41 N/A
    80
    Congo    		 40 N/A
    81
    Albania    		 40 N/A
    82
    Croatia    		 40 N/A
    83
    Lesotho    		 40 N/A
    84
    Togo    		 40 N/A
    85
    Ecuador    		 39 N/A
    86
    Estonia    		 39 N/A
    87
    Greece    		 39 N/A
    88
    Guatemala    		 39 N/A
    89
    Samoa    		 39 N/A
    90
    South Africa    		 39 N/A
    91
    Burkina Faso    		 38 N/A
    92
    Eswatini    		 38 N/A
    93
    Haiti    		 38 N/A
    94
    Honduras    		 38 N/A
    95
    Jamaica    		 38 N/A
    96
    Laos    		 38 N/A
    97
    Netherlands    		 38 N/A
    98
    Paraguay    		 38 N/A
    99
    Qatar    		 38 N/A
    100
    United Arab Emirates    		 38 N/A
    101
    Cuba    		 37 N/A
    102
    Malawi    		 37 N/A
    103
    Sri Lanka    		 37 N/A
    104
    Sweden    		 37 N/A
    105
    Algeria    		 36 N/A
    106
    Belgium     		36 N/A
    107
    Costa Rica    		 36 N/A
    108
    East Timor    		 36 N/A
    109
    Ghana    		 36 N/A
    110
    Sao Tome and Principe    		 36 N/A
    111
    Cyprus    		 35 N/A
    112
    Guyana    		 35 N/A
    113
    Malaysia    		 35 N/A
    114
    Mali    		 35 N/A
    115
    Tunisia    		 35 N/A
    116
    Burundi    		 34 N/A
    117
    Canada    		 34 N/A
    118
    Dominican Republic    		 34 N/A
    119
    Equatorial Guinea    		 34 N/A
    120
    Uruguay    		 34 N/A
    121
    Azerbaijan    		 33 N/A
    122
    India    		 33 N/A
    123
    Switzerland    		 33 N/A
    124
    Bhutan    		 32 N/A
    125
    Cambodia    		 32 N/A
    126
    Djibouti    		 32 N/A
    127
    Montenegro    		 32 N/A
    128
    Nepal    		 32 N/A
    129
    Slovenia    		 32 N/A
    130
    Uganda    		 32 N/A
    131
    Venezuela    		 32 N/A
    132
    Dominica    		 31 N/A
    133
    Fiji    		 31 N/A
    134
    Pakistan    		 31 N/A
    135
    Colombia    		 30 N/A
    136
    Germany    		 30 N/A
    137
    Malta    		 30 N/A
    138
    Bolivia    		 29 N/A
    139
    Kyrgyztan    		 29 N/A
    140
    Ethiopia    		 28 N/A
    141
    Georgia    		 28 N/A
    142
    Hungary    		 28 N/A
    143
    Moldova    		 28 N/A
    144
    Turkmenistan    		 28 N/A
    145
    Zambia    		 28 N/A
    146
    Bangladesh    		 27 N/A
    147
    China    		 27 N/A
    148
    Lithuania    		 27 N/A
    149
    Luxembourg    		 27 N/A
    150
    Mongolia    		 27 N/A
    151
    Panama    		 27 N/A
    152
    Saint Lucia    		 27 N/A
    153
    Botswana    		 26 N/A
    154
    Iraq    		 26 N/A
    154
    Zimbabwe    		 26 N/A
    155
    Austria    		 25 N/A
    156
    Bulgaria    		 25 N/A
    157
    Iran    		 25 N/A
    158
    Kenya    		 25 N/A
    159
    Poland    		 25 N/A
    160
    Armenia    		 24 N/A
    161
    Barbados    		 24 N/A
    162
    Latvia    		 24 N/A
    163
    Singapore    		 24 N/A
    164
    Czech republic    		 23 N/A
    165
    Serbia    		 23 N/A
    166
    Bosnia and Herz.    		 22 N/A
    167
    Nigeria    		 21 N/A
    168
    Turkey    		 21 N/A
    169
    Niger    		 20 N/A
    170
    Rwanda    		 20 N/A
    171
    Tajikistan    		 19 N/A
    172
    Israel    		 18 N/A
    173
    Jordan    		 17 N/A
    174
    Afghanistan    		 15 N/A
    175
    Uzbekistan    		 15 N/A
    176
    El Salvador    		 14 N/A
    177
    North Macedonia    		 14 N/A
    178
    Slovakia    		 13 N/A

    Source and Calculation

    Data on country-specific environmental legislation and regulation are sourced from ECOLEX. The proportion of legislation and regulation dealing with `fisheries` and `wild species & ecosystems` out of the total is then calculated. A maximum score is awarded to a country that 50% or more of its environmental legislation and regulation deals with fisheries or wild species & ecosystems.

    *Different sources offer varying data, as datasets may be subject to changes due to recent updates and revisions.