| 1769–1859 | Life of Alexander von Humboldt | Described species-area relationship through South American explorations |
| 1936 | Jim Corbett National Park established | India's first national park (originally Hailey NP), Uttarakhand |
| 1948 | IUCN founded | International Union for Conservation of Nature; maintains Red List |
| 1964 | IUCN Red List established | First systematic global species threat assessment |
| 1968 | Asiatic lion population at ~180 | Near-extinction before Gir protection intensified |
| 1971 | Ramsar Convention signed | First modern environmental treaty; Ramsar, Iran — wetland protection |
| 1972 | Stockholm Conference on Human Environment | First major global environmental conference; DDT bans followed |
| 1972 | Wildlife Protection Act (India) | Legal framework for national parks, wildlife sanctuaries |
| 1973 | Project Tiger launched | India's most successful wildlife conservation programme; launched at Corbett |
| 1981 | Chilika Lake — India's first Ramsar site | Asia's largest coastal lagoon designated |
| 1984 | E.O. Wilson publishes "Biophilia" | Coined the term; ethical foundation for conservation |
| 1986 | Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve | India's first biosphere reserve; UNESCO MAB site |
| 1987 | Brundtland Report — "Our Common Future" | Defined sustainable development; influenced CBD goals |
| 1988 | Norman Myers proposes hotspot concept | Originally 10 tropical forest hotspots; grew to 25, now 36 |
| 1992 | Earth Summit, Rio de Janeiro | CBD signed by 190+ nations; UNFCCC; Agenda 21 |
| 1992 | Project Elephant launched | India; elephant corridor identification and HEC management |
| 1994 | India ratifies CBD | Enacted Biological Diversity Act 2002 domestically |
| 1997 | Costanza ecosystem services paper | $33T/year estimate published in Nature |
| 2002 | India's Biological Diversity Act | Implements CBD; creates National Biodiversity Authority |
| 2008 | Svalbard Global Seed Vault opened | "Doomsday Vault" — Arctic backup for world's seed diversity |
| 2010 | Nagoya Protocol adopted | Operationalises CBD's benefit-sharing provisions; ABS mechanism |
| 2022 | India tiger census — 3,682 tigers | Tiger population doubled from Project Tiger launch |
| 2022 | India reaches 75 Ramsar sites | Most Ramsar sites of any country |