New Delhi, 19th October 2026: As biodiversity decline continues unabated, India’s position is crucial in terms of leading biodiversity conservation in the Global South. To align with national and international biodiversity conservation commitments, the Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh, launched the National Red List of Flora, Fauna and Fungi of India – Vision 2025-2030 at the World Conservation Congress in October 2025.

The National Red List initiative of India is a collaborative effort, spearheaded by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), and jointly led by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), IUCN India, and the IUCN SSC Center for Species Survival India–Wildlife Trust of India (CSS: India-WTI). As part of this effort, ZSI, CSS: India–WTI and the State of India’s Birds (SoIB) have partnered to conduct the National Red List assessment of 1211 species of Indian birds. The initiative draws on the global scientific network of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (IUCN SSC), which brings together thousands of experts worldwide to advance species conservation through collaborative action.

“Red List assessments are fundamental to identifying extinction risk faced by species and setting conservation priorities. India’s National Red List initiative represents an important step toward strengthening the scientific foundation that underpins conservation action. The collaborative assessment of Indian birds demonstrates how the wider expert community can work together to build a more comprehensive understanding of biodiversity and inform its long-term conservation”, said Mr. Vivek Menon, Chair, IUCN SSC.

An Indian Courser in Bhigwan | Photo © Tisha Mukherjee

The vast growth of citizen science data has significantly improved our understanding of the distribution and geographic ranges of birds in India. Until recently, however, population trend information was available primarily for threatened species such as vultures and bustards. The State of India’s Birds (SoIB) initiative has made a breakthrough by using citizen science data to assess population trends for a large number of widespread and common bird species. Population size estimates, however, remain unavailable for the majority of India’s birds.

Red List assessments of species essentially require information on at least one of three key parameters: geographic range, population size, and population trends. Addressing gaps in these data is therefore essential in strengthening the scientific basis for national assessments. To ensure that this national effort is inclusive and scientifically robust, the National Red List Assessment of Birds Forum was launched as a collaborative platform that aims to bridge the knowledge gaps in assessments by bringing together ornithologists and conservationists to share expertise, discuss available evidence, and develop estimates of these key parameters, thereby strengthening the scientific basis for assessing the conservation status of India’s birds.

“Long-term scientific data are essential for understanding changes in bird populations and assessing their conservation status. The compilation and analysis of large volumes of citizen science data offer an unprecedented opportunity to understand population trends across a wide range of bird species, including those for which systematic monitoring has been limited. Such collaborative efforts strengthen the scientific evidence base for Red List assessments and help ensure that conservation priorities for India’s birds are informed by the best available knowledge,” stated Dr. Aparajita Datta, Executive Director, Nature Conservation Foundation and Co-Chair, IUCN Hornbill Specialist Group.

An Indian Roller | Photo © Shantanu_Kuveskar

Currently, over 100 species have been assessed and showcased in the forum for input from experts. By leveraging the collective input of the birding community, the forum ensures that regional data, recent field sightings, population trends, and rescue effect are accurately captured before the final threat categories are locked in. The National Red List Assessment Forum for Birds can be accessed at: https://stateofindiasbirds.in/forums/national-redlist/

With a view to bridging the gap between described and assessed species, the National Red List initiative is envisaged as a dynamic and phased exercise following the gold standard of extinction risk assessments – the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The first phase aims to assess 11,000 species of flora, fauna and fungi, laying the foundation for subsequent phases that will progressively expand assessment coverage to include additional species. This massive undertaking helps India meet its obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and aligns tightly with Target 4 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which specifically mandates halting species extinction.

Join the Forum: https://stateofindiasbirds.in/forums/national-redlist/