India, Nepal Sign MoU On Forest and Wildlife Cooperation

New Delhi, Feb 26 (KNN) India and Nepal on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen bilateral cooperation in forests, wildlife, environment, biodiversity conservation and climate change. 

The agreement was formalised between the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Nepal’s Ministry of Forests and Environment at a ceremony held in New Delhi.

The signing took place in the presence of Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Nepal’s Minister for Forests and Environment Madhav Prasad Chaulagain. 

As per an official release, the MoU aims to promote structured collaboration through exchange of knowledge, technical expertise and best practices, including restoration of wildlife corridors and interlinking areas across shared ecosystems.

India and Nepal share rich biodiversity and interconnected habitats, with extensive networks of protected areas on both sides of the border. 

Given the transboundary nature of several wildlife landscapes and ecological systems, both governments recognised the need for enhanced coordination to ensure sustainable conservation outcomes.

The MoU provides for cooperation in developing landscape-level biodiversity conservation strategies, with a focus on key species such as elephants, the Gangetic dolphin, rhinoceros, snow leopard, tiger and vultures. 

It also envisages strengthened forest and protected area management, restoration of ecological corridors to create transboundary conservation landscapes, and joint efforts to address biodiversity threats.

In addition, the agreement includes measures to combat forest and wildlife crime, build the capacity of frontline enforcement personnel, and promote environmentally sustainable infrastructure in biodiversity-sensitive regions. 

(KNN Bureau)