Aravalli redefinition, air quality to dominate 2026 debates
Redefining the Aravallis, worsening air quality and intensifying the climate change debate — these are some of the issues that will continue to dominate the environment sector in India in 2026, with calls for long-term integrated strategies rather than episodic responses growing louder.
Air pollution remained a defining environmental crisis of 2025, with urban centres repeatedly recording hazardous pollution levels. Delhi-NCR and other metros faced persistent ozone and particulate exceedances linked to transport, industrial emissions, dust and wildfires.
While the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) moved to tighten emergency responses, including mandatory school closures under high-pollution phases and staggered office timings, reflecting the urgency of protecting public health amid deteriorating air quality, public anxiety peaked with calls for judicial intervention and expert group reviews to overhaul national air quality strategy, indicating widespread frustration with the pace of action and policy implementation.
Both environmental experts and the public have been demanding the strengthening air quality policy with integrated strategies addressing transport, industrial emissions, dust control, waste management and climate-linked wildfire mitigation.
The Government also issued several directives to States to consider pollution as a year-long agenda and not specific months and prepare an action plan accordingly.
Environmental governance remained under the spotlight in 2025 amid contentious legal and policy decisions. The Supreme Court’s acceptance of a redefined Aravalli boundary, confining protected status to elevations above 100 metres, drew criticism from conservationists who warned that the move could facilitate mining and development in fragile low-lying areas, diminish natural defences against dust storms and aggravate air quality challenges in the Delhi-NCR.
However, the decision was put in abeyance following uproar. Following the apex court’s directive, the environment ministry asked States to impose a ban on new mining leases within the Aravalli range to protect the broader geological ridge and its ecosystem services, highlighting the complex balancing act between regulatory flexibility and environmental protection.
At the international level, India strengthened its forestry diplomacy by joining the Brazil-led Tropical Forests Forever Facility as an observer at COP30, signalling an intent to engage with multilateral mechanisms designed to secure long-term finance for tropical forest protection and restoration.
Indian delegates underscored the need for equitable climate finance that addresses both mitigation and adaptation, especially for developing economies.
A major biodiversity milestone in 2025 was the launch of the National Red List Assessment - a strategic roadmap to catalogue and monitor the conservation status of India’s flora and fauna. The initiative, presented at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, is expected to strengthen evidence-based conservation planning and align national efforts with global biodiversity goals.
India’s commitment to wildlife conservation was also showcased at COP30, where Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav emphasised the ecological linkage between apex predators and broader ecosystem health, calling for renewed global cooperation to protect big cats - from tigers to snow leopards - as part of integrated biodiversity and climate action.
India is also working towards positioning itself as a leader in conservation diplomacy, hosting a Global Big Cats Summit in New Delhi in 2026 to galvanise international partnerships.
On the ground, Project Tiger - India’s flagship tiger conservation programme - maintained momentum, with continued translocation and population augmentation initiatives.
A recent interState relocation saw a tigress from Pench Tiger Reserve released into Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan under the second phase of a planned translocation programme aimed at strengthening population dynamics across reserves. Despite conservation successes, human-wildlife conflicts intensified across several regions.
In Maharashtra’s Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve buffer zone, a spate of fatal tiger attacks on forest workers underscored the urgent need for coordinated safety protocols, predator tracking, and better risk minimisation measures in fringe communities.
Calls for reforms in the Wildlife (Protection) Act also gained traction in parts of the country, with stakeholders urging decentralised decision-making and revised approaches to managing species that pose recurrent conflict risks — a debate playing out alongside broader conservation objectives.
