Bengaluru: India and Japan discussed strengthening cooperation in forest management, biodiversity conservation and research at the 7th India-Japan Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting on forests held in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
The meeting brought together senior officials from both countries to review ongoing cooperation and identify new areas of collaboration in forestry and environmental conservation.
The Indian delegation was led by Ramesh Kumar Pandey, Additional Director General (Forests), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, while the Japanese delegation was headed by Shimizu Kotaro, Deputy Director General, Forestry Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The two sides discussed three major areas of cooperation — Trees Outside Forests (TOF), Forest Genetics and Forest Stack.
Under TOF, officials exchanged experiences on assessing and managing tree resources growing outside conventional forest areas, as well as genetic improvement.
Discussions on forest genetics focused on genetic resource conservation, tree breeding, improved planting material and germplasm conservation.
The Forest Stack component covered forest inventory, stock assessment and the use of geospatial technologies and monitoring systems for better forest management.
India and Japan also endorsed a 2027-2031 roadmap under the Memorandum of Cooperation signed in 2015. The roadmap seeks to deepen collaboration in forests, biodiversity conservation, research and capacity building.
The meeting concluded with the signing of the Minutes of the 7th Joint Working Group meeting.
As part of the programme, both delegations visited the Institute of Wood Science and Technology in Bengaluru and interacted with officials of the Karnataka Forest Department.
The delegations are scheduled to visit sandalwood agro-forestry farms, a sandalwood depot and processing unit in Mysuru on September 9, followed by a visit to Nagarhole Tiger Reserve on September 10.
The field visits are expected to provide an opportunity for both sides to exchange experiences on sandalwood cultivation on private farms and wildlife conservation practices, further strengthening cooperation in sustainable forest management.
