India hosts 89 Ramsar sites and four biodiversity hotspots but conservation outcomes are uneven. Discuss the role of community-led models such as Khasi Hills REDD+ and Project Tiger.

Introduction: India has 89 Ramsar sites and four biodiversity hotspots — Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats, and Sundaland; the Khasi Hills REDD+ project became India's first Plan Vivo community carbon initiative; the All India Tiger Estimation 2022 recorded 3,682 tigers, a global high under Project Tiger.

Body: First, flagship successes — Project Tiger (1973) under NTCA, Project Elephant (1992), Project Cheetah at Kuno (2022), and the Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes (MISHTI) scheme of 2023 covering 540 sq km. Second, community model — Khasi Hills REDD+ aggregates 62 villages in Meghalaya, generating carbon revenue tied to forest conservation. Third, gaps — wetland degradation, human-wildlife conflict, and uneven Wetland Rules 2017 enforcement; the Mangrove Alliance for Climate (COP27) anchors coastal action.

Way forward: Scale community carbon projects through the Green Credit Programme, strengthen Wetland Rules 2017 enforcement, and expand CAMPA-funded restoration under MoEFCC by 2030.