Biodiversity Conservation and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals: India's Responses Evaluated - Particularly in Relation to SDG15

Agenda 2030 of the UN sets out 17 goals for achieving sustainable development by 2030 as well as several targets that should be met in order to achieve each of these goals. The aspirational goals and targets in Agenda 2030 are broader than those in the preceding set of its Millennium Development Goals. In this chapter, the value and limitations of the UN’s goal for sustaining life on earth (SDG15) (and its associated targets) are examined. The challenges of making the targets operational are discussed, and particular attention is given to India’s efforts to quantitatively specify its targets for satisfying SDG15. The prospects of India satisfying SDG15 and the adequacy of the targets which it has set itself for doing so are given special attention. The ability of India to meet the SDGs generally is considered also in introducing this chapter