25 February 2026·PIB

India and Nepal sign MoU to strengthen cooperation in Forests, Wildlife, Environment, Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change

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1. At a Glance

Bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in New Delhi on 25 February 2026 between India's MoEFCC and Nepal's Ministry of Forests and Environment [1].
Covers forests, wildlife, environment, biodiversity conservation, climate change, restoration of wildlife corridors and transboundary conservation landscapes [1].
High relevance for UPSC: intersects India–Nepal relations (GS-II), biodiversity & conservation (GS-III), and transboundary ecosystems of the Terai-Arc and Himalaya.

Signed 25 Feb 2026 in New Delhi in presence of Union Minister Bhupender Yadav (India) and Cabinet Minister Madhav Prasad Chaulagain (Nepal) [1].
Operationalises the Union Cabinet approval of 31 August 2022 that had authorised such an MoU [2].

31 Aug 2022: Union Cabinet (chaired by PM Modi) approved MoEFCC's proposal for an MoU with Nepal on biodiversity conservation [2].
India and Nepal share a ~1,750 km open border and contiguous biodiversity hotspots — Terai Arc Landscape, Kailash Sacred Landscape, Sundarbans-Sub-Himalayan zone.
Earlier multilateral engagement: India's Five-point call at the 1st Sagarmatha Sambaad, Kathmandu (May 2025) by Bhupender Yadav on protecting fragile mountain ecosystems [3].
MoU finally inked on 25 Feb 2026, ~3.5 years after Cabinet nod [1][2].

Signing parties: MoEFCC (India) & Ministry of Forests and Environment (Nepal) [1].
Venue & date: New Delhi, 25 February 2026 [1].
Indian nodal ministry: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) [1].
Scope (six pillars): 1. Landscape-level biodiversity strategies for elephant, Gangetic dolphin, rhinoceros, snow leopard, tiger, vultures [1]. 2. Forest and protected area management [1]. 3. Restoration of corridors / transboundary conservation landscapes [1]. 4. Combating forest and wildlife crime [1]. 5. Capacity building of frontline enforcement staff [1]. 6. Smart green infrastructure in biodiversity hotspots [1].

Environmental: Institutionalises transboundary management of shared species (tiger, rhino, elephant) whose ranges cross Indo-Nepal Terai; supports India's commitments under CBD and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework [1].
Geopolitical/Strategic: Signals reset of India–Nepal ties via low-friction "green diplomacy"; complements Sagarmatha Sambaad outreach on Himalayan ecosystems [3].
Administrative: Sets up institutional channel for joint anti-poaching coordination — historically weak because of the open, porous border enabling wildlife trafficking [1].
Scientific/Technological: Exchange of technical expertise, best practices, smart green infrastructure in biodiversity hotspots [1].
Legal: India's framework derives from Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, Forest (Conservation) Act 1980, Biological Diversity Act 2002; Nepal's from National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973.

25 Feb 2026: MoU signed in New Delhi [1].
May 2025: Bhupender Yadav delivered five-point call at 1st Sagarmatha Sambaad, Kathmandu, on mountain ecosystems [3].
2024: MoEFCC Year-end Review highlights focus on transboundary conservation and forest area gains [4].

India–Nepal MoU on forests/wildlife/climate signed on 25 February 2026 at New Delhi [1].
Indian signatory ministry: MoEFCC; Nepali counterpart: Ministry of Forests and Environment [1].
Union Minister signing for India: Bhupender Yadav [1].
Nepal's signatory minister: Madhav Prasad Chaulagain, Cabinet Minister for Forests and Environment [1].
Cabinet approval for the MoU was given on 31 August 2022 [2].
Six target species named: elephant, Gangetic dolphin, rhinoceros, snow leopard, tiger, vultures [1].
MoU explicitly covers restoration of wildlife corridors and transboundary conservation landscapes [1].
1st Sagarmatha Sambaad was held in Kathmandu, Nepal (May 2025) [3].
India ranked 3rd in net gain in average annual forest area over last decade (Economic Survey 2022-23) [S4 context].

GS-II: India and its Neighbourhood — bilateral agreements; "Neighbourhood First".
GS-III: Conservation, environmental pollution, biodiversity, EIA.
Sample stems: 1. "Transboundary conservation cooperation with Nepal is as much a strategic imperative as an ecological one." Discuss in light of the 2026 MoU. 2. Examine how bilateral instruments like the India–Nepal MoU (2026) can operationalise India's commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. 3. Wildlife corridors across the Indo-Nepal border are critical for tiger and rhino conservation. Analyse the institutional and enforcement challenges.

Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) — flagship Indo-Nepal landscape for tigers/rhinos.
Kailash Sacred Landscape — India-Nepal-China trilateral conservation.
Project Tiger / NTCA — domestic anchor of tiger conservation.
CITES & Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) — anti-trafficking architecture.
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022) — 30x30 targets.
India–Nepal relations: Treaty of Peace & Friendship 1950, Eminent Persons Group, Pancheshwar.
Sagarmatha Sambaad — Nepal's Himalayan dialogue platform [3].
Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023 — domestic legal base.

Wrong ministry: MoEFCC, NOT MEA, is the Indian signatory.
Date confusion: Cabinet approval was 2022; actual signing was Feb 2026 — both years are testable.
Do not confuse with the India–Namibia MoU (2022) on wildlife conservation or the India–Nepal agriculture MoU [S2 result list].
The MoU is not a treaty; it does not require parliamentary ratification.
Nepali ministry is "Ministry of Forests and Environment" — not "Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change" (that is India's name).

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