In 1962, China, in whose capital the MoU was signed on Thursday, had only one percent forest cover. This has now grown to 32 percent. No doubt Nepal has much to learn from China’s long experience in preserving greenery in its metropolitan cites and its extraordinary success in developing skills, training and technology required for conservation work. Two things have helped to expedite the agreement, a first of its kind between the two countries. First is the rise in poaching of endangered and protected species, especially the trade in tiger parts, which are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. And second is a need to crack down on organized crime. China came to accept the urgent need to strengthen border monitoring and for this an agreement at the political-level was required. As per the agreement, Nepal and China will work to enhance capacity to combat illegal trade and poaching in border regions as well as to implement international conventions and exert pressure for enforcement of such conventions.
Prior to this, both China and India treated wildlife issues as a sovereign matter. But now, with China breaking with the traditional belief and accepting a cooperative mechanism to jointly fight heinous crime against wildlife, India too must promptly embrace Nepal’s offer for a similar agreement. Such an accord with India is a must, given the porous border that facilitates cross-border illegal trade. A bilateral agreement with India is more meaningful in the present day context. India and Nepal alone account for 10 percent of the global bio-diversity area. The Nepal government is looking forward to signing a memorandum of understanding with India next month. The time to act is now. Hopefully, the Indian side will sign it in a positive spirit, bearing in mind that South Asia has become the hub for an illegal trade that runs into billions of dollars.
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