Natural resource conservation isn’t just an environmental concern; it’s a geopolitical one.
In recent years, India’s rise on the world stage has been nothing short of transformative. With a powerful combination of rapid economic growth, a refreshingly bold but balanced diplomacy, and a steady and decisive political leadership, India has sent a clear message to the world that it is ready to play a much greater role in shaping the future of global affairs.
India’s Global Rise: A Soft Power Shift
Ranked 29th among 193 countries in the ‘Brand Finance Global Soft Power Index 2024’, India is poised to leverage its influence more strategically. As India moves closer to its vision of becoming a developed nation by 2047, its role in the international community must evolve accordingly. Beyond economic and military strength, true leadership today also requires active engagement in global challenges, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable resource management, through robust diplomacy and the strategic use of soft power.
Conservation as Diplomacy
The growing international stature of the country brings heightened expectations from the global community in general and the neighbouring countries in particular. India’s strategic outreach through initiatives, such as the Neighbourhood First Policy, Act East Policy, and Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), has laid a strong foundation for deeper regional ties and collaborative governance. These frameworks have strengthened bilateral relations, boosted economic cooperation, deepened cultural ties, and enhanced connectivity, while also promoting multilateral collaboration. More recent developments have led to recognition of the country’s growing role and importance in the Indo-Pacific region.
For years, India has extended development assistance to several countries, channelling billions of dollars through mechanisms under the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Over the past two decades, India’s development assistance framework, including lines of credit (LOCs), grants, and technical aid, has steadily expanded.
But soft power matters now more than ever, and environmental stewardship offers a powerful new dimension to India’s influence.
Transboundary ecological challenges in South and Southeast Asia, such as deforestation, wildlife trafficking, and water scarcity, pose serious threats to health, food security, and stability. For instance, the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot which spans Northeast India, the Andaman Islands, South China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, highlights the critical need for regional collaboration.
Notably, illegal wildlife trade is a US$23 billion industry that is driving several faunal and floral species to extinction and is the fourth largest illegal global trade, after arms, drugs, and human trafficking.
It is time, therefore, for the country to adopt a more proactive role in addressing global natural resource conservation challenges, many of which transcend national boundaries. These challenges include protecting ecologically sensitive areas, preventing illegal wildlife trade, restoring endangered species, conserving water and biodiversity, safeguarding indigenous flora and fauna, and enhancing transboundary cooperation in managing natural resources.
Natural resource conservation isn’t just an environmental concern; it’s a geopolitical one. Issues like deforestation, wildlife trafficking, water scarcity, and loss of biodiversity have wide-ranging implications for economic stability, migration, health, and national security. These interconnected challenges call for structured, regionally responsive solutions that align environmental goals with diplomatic and development priorities.
Regional Conservation Aid Mechanism – The Way Forward
It is suggested that the MEA set up a dedicated fund for this purpose under its existing development aid structures in the Ministry and disburse these funds against specific requirements at the country level through its diplomatic missions.
A starting point would be to focus on South and Southeast Asia, promoting collaborative conservation initiatives tailored to the unique needs of each country. While India currently offers scholarships to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) countries for studies in institutions, such as the Forest Research Institute, and many universities reserve seats for regional students, a more targeted approach is the need of the hour.
Since 2000, India has provided concessional lines of credit amounting to approximately US$32 billion across more than 300 LOCs with over 68 partner countries, supporting around 600 development projects worldwide. Integrating conservation goals into this established framework could strengthen environmental resilience and deepen regional trust.
Specifically, India could provide financial and technical support for conservation programmes in partner countries. These initiatives would strengthen bilateral and multilateral relationships, promote ecological stability and foster cross-border institutional collaboration between the relevant Indian and foreign governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), solidify regional networks for environmental action, enhance its soft power and international reputation, and help shape the global environmental agenda.
India has the tools and networks. What is needed now is a focused mechanism to extend conservation-focused aid and collaboration across South and Southeast Asia.
The first step would involve developing country-specific conservation assessments that identify existing initiatives and key conservation challenges and gaps, particularly in funding and technical capacity, where India’s support could make a meaningful impact. Based on these assessments, a structured financial and technical support mechanism could be designed for each country.
Funding support could be channelled through competitive grants to national civil society organizations and as co-financing for the ongoing government programmes that allows collaboration with Indian institutions. Another pathway could involve providing core support to credible national institutions engaged in effective conservation efforts, helping them strengthen their institutional frameworks. Additionally, a portion of the funding could be allocated to regional initiatives that promote knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, and cross-border cooperation.
Scholarships, joint research programmes, and institutional partnerships with Indian universities and research bodies like the Forest Research Institute, Wildlife Institute of India, and others, can strengthen long-term regional cooperation.
India’s domestic experience in forest governance is significant. The Forest Survey of India (2021) reports that the country’s forest and tree cover is 25.17% of its geographical area–an asset that can inform regional conservation knowledge-sharing.
Additionally, many Indian companies operating in the region support local development through corporate foundations. Establishing a coordination platform to align these efforts with India’s conservation diplomacy could multiply impact, scale up interventions, and enhance India’s image as a responsible regional leader.
India as a Global Conservation Leader
India is well-positioned to lead the regional conservation discourse, setting standards, driving innovation, and influencing how natural resources are managed. Rather than being shaped by external agendas, India should be a source of fresh ideas and leadership in environmental stewardship. Active engagement with regional conservation challenges will not only deepen our understanding but also enable the country to influence both regional and global conservation policies and actions.
India’s leadership in regional conservation can amplify its global influence, anchor it as a voice of the Global South, and shape multilateral environmental norms. By embracing environmental diplomacy, India can define a new model of leadership–one that safeguards nature, strengthens regional partnerships, and elevates its standing as a forward-looking global power.
Strategic leadership in conservation could boost our country’s global soft power, projecting a modern, responsible, and visionary India to the world, and position it as a frontrunner in global environmental governance.