India-Nepal MoU for Transboundary Conservation | 27 Feb 2026

Source: PIB

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (India) and the Ministry of Forests and Environment (Nepal) signed an MoU to promote bilateral cooperation in forests, wildlife, environment, biodiversity conservation, and climate change.

• Landscape-Level Conservation: The MoU envisages cooperation in formulating biodiversity conservation strategies at the landscape level, with emphasis on key species including the elephant, Gangetic dolphin, rhinoceros, snow leopard, tiger, and vultures.
• Focus on Transboundary Ecosystems: Recognizing their shared ecosystems and transboundary wildlife habitats, both countries agreed to strengthen coordination, with a specific focus on restoring wildlife corridors and interlinking areas.
• E.g., Khata Corridor (linking Nepal's Bardia National Park with India's Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary).
• Valmiki-Chitwan linkage (Valmiki Tiger Reserve in India (Bihar), adjacent to Chitwan National Park and Parsa Wildlife Reserve in Nepal)
• Combating Wildlife Crime: A key component of the agreement is addressing biodiversity conservation threats and combating forest and wildlife crime through strengthened capacity building of frontline staff of enforcement agencies.
• E.g., curbing poaching for Rhino horns, poaching for tiger skins, bones, claws, teeth, and other parts, poaching for elephant’s ivory (tusks), etc.
• Commitment to Multilateral Agreements: Both India and Nepal agreed to cooperate on multilateral environmental agreements and conventions as they are parties to the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, 1992), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES, 1973), etc.