An agreement on biodiversity and wildlife conservation was signed in New Delhi on Wednesday in the presence of Nepal’s Minister for Forests and Environment Madhav Prasad Chaulagain and India’s Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on behalf of Nepal by Nepali Ambassador to India Shankar Prasad Sharma and on behalf of India by Environment Secretary Tanmay Kumar. Senior officials from both governments were present at the ceremony, according to the Ministry of Forests and Environment.
Nepal and India are parties to several international environmental conventions under the United Nations, including those related to biodiversity conservation. The two countries share a border with protected areas and biological corridors, where wildlife such as elephants, rhinos, and tigers frequently move freely across the boundary.
The MoU is expected to strengthen coordination and cooperation between the two nations in managing protected areas, conserving biodiversity, and controlling wildlife crime. It also aims to adopt joint biodiversity strategies and enhance the capacity of field-level staff.
Minister Chaulagain stated that the agreement would help curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade in border areas, promote research and monitoring of wildlife, and raise public awareness and build local capacity.
The implementation of the MoU is expected to facilitate regular patrols and meetings in border regions, promote the exchange of experience and knowledge, develop and expand best practices, and enable prompt information sharing related to wildlife and illegal trade.
The agreement also allows both countries to share wildlife crime-related information through the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) to strengthen international efforts in controlling wildlife crime.
From Nepal’s side, the Ministry and its subordinate bodies—including the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation—along with provincial forest and environment ministries, protected areas, and divisional forest offices, will coordinate and cooperate in implementing the MoU.
The agreement will be automatically renewed every five years unless either country provides written notice through diplomatic channels. It will be reviewed every three years, and any issues arising during implementation will be resolved through mutual understanding.
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