India’s once-thriving skies are facing an unprecedented collapse. According to the Living Planet Report 2024, vulture populations — key apex scavengers — have plummeted by over 90% since the 1980s, triggering alarm among conservationists about a broader biodiversity crisis.
The decline, which peaked between 1992 and 2002, saw the white-rumped vulture and Indian vulture populations crash by 98% and 93%, respectively. The primary culprit, the report says, was the veterinary use of diclofenac, a widely used painkiller for livestock that proved lethal to vultures feeding on treated carcasses.
While India banned veterinary diclofenac in 2006, related drugs such as aceclofenac and ketoprofen continued to circulate until their bans were enforced last year. By then, the damage had already been deep and widespread. Additional threats — including poisoning of livestock carcasses and electrocution by high-tension power lines — have further pushed vulture populations to critical levels.
Open Ecosystems in Decline
Beyond vultures, the report draws attention to the degradation of India’s open natural ecosystems (ONEs) — grasslands, scrublands, deserts, semi-arid zones — habitats often overlooked in conservation efforts but critical for numerous bird species. Over the past 50 years, bird populations from these landscapes have shown significant declines, underscoring a crisis that extends far beyond forests and protected reserves.
These ecosystems, the report notes, also include human-managed lands like grazing fields and croplands, where habitat loss and conversion have added to the pressures.
The Insect Blind Spot
The report also flags a worrying absence of data on India’s insect populations, especially pollinators. “There is little to no understanding of the status of pollinator communities such as flies, butterflies, moths, and beetles,” the report observes.
Anecdotal evidence offers glimpses of the problem: in Odisha, native bee populations have reportedly declined by 80% since 2002. Globally, grassland butterfly populations have fallen by 33% over two decades. But without robust monitoring, the extent of India’s insect decline remains largely uncharted — a dangerous blind spot given their vital ecological roles.
Tiger Success, But Wetlands Shrink
Not all news is grim. The All-India Tiger Estimation 2022, carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India, has reported an increase in tiger numbers — from 3,682 to 3,925 — with notable gains in Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra. This reflects sustained conservation efforts over the past decade, particularly in protected landscapes.
Yet, the report cautions that isolated species-level successes cannot offset broader ecological decline. A case in point is Chennai, where urbanisation between 1988 and 2019 led to the dramatic shrinking of wetlands. These wetlands, once crucial for groundwater recharge and flood mitigation, have been replaced by concrete, leaving the city increasingly vulnerable to drought, flooding, and climate-induced stresses.
On the Edge of a Tipping Point
Perhaps the most sobering warning of the report is the looming risk of ecological “tipping points” — thresholds beyond which environmental changes become irreversible. Whether through the collapse of scavenger networks, the loss of pollinators, or the erosion of open habitats, India’s natural systems are approaching critical instability.
The report urges policymakers and conservationists to broaden the scope of conservation efforts. Protecting biodiversity, it argues, must extend beyond iconic wildlife to include entire ecosystems — grasslands, deserts, wetlands — and the countless lesser-known species they support.
As vultures vanish and wetlands shrink, India stands at a pivotal crossroads: will it act boldly to restore balance, or continue on a path that leads to irreversible ecological change?
