India and Japan on Tuesday reviewed and strengthened cooperation in the forestry sector during the 7th India-Japan Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting on forests held in Bengaluru.
The meeting brought together senior officials from both countries to discuss collaboration in forest management, biodiversity conservation, research, technology and capacity building.
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, Government of Japan.
The discussions focused on three key areas of cooperation—Tree Outside Forests (TOFs), Forest Genetics and Forest Stack.
Under Tree Outside Forests, the two sides exchanged experiences on the assessment and management of tree resources outside designated forest areas, along with approaches for genetic improvement. Discussions on forest genetics covered conservation of genetic resources, tree breeding, improved planting material and germplasm conservation.
The two countries also exchanged views on Forest Stack, particularly forest inventory, forest stock assessment and the use of geospatial and monitoring technologies for improved forest management.
A key outcome of the meeting was the endorsement of the Roadmap for 2027–2031 under the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed by India and Japan in 2015. The roadmap is aimed at further deepening bilateral cooperation in forests, biodiversity conservation, research and capacity building.
The meeting concluded with the signing of the Minutes of the 7th Joint Working Group meeting, reaffirming the commitment of both sides to strengthen cooperation in the forestry sector.
As part of the programme, the Indian and Japanese 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 a processing unit in Mysuru on September 9. They will subsequently visit Nagarhole Tiger Reserve on September 10.
The field visits are expected to provide opportunities for both sides to exchange experiences on sandalwood cultivation on private farms as well as wildlife conservation practices, further expanding practical cooperation between India and Japan in forest management and biodiversity conservation.
