Jorhat, Feb. 17: The International Fund for Animal Welfare -– Wildlife Trust of India (IFWA-WTI) today signed an MoU with the Bhutan government to carry out conservation of wildlife in the Himalayan kingdom.

The development is seen as a big boost to conservation of wildlife at Manas National Park in Assam as experts were of the view that there was a need for trans-border management of the park, a World Heritage Site and Royal Manas National Park of Bhutan to enhance the long-term conservation prospects of both.

Manas has been under a recovery phase following a decade of social turmoil that did considerable damage to its flora and fauna.

A security mechanism involving greater international trans-boundary co-ordination between the two protected areas divided by the Manas river is among the recommendations made by Unesco.

Today’s agreement was signed between the IFAW-WTI and department of forest and park services, ministry of agriculture and forests, Bhutan, at Thimphu as part of the global agenda to conserve species like Royal Bengal tigers and safeguard their dwindling habitats.

A release issued by the IFAW-WTI said the agreement outlines promotion of Indo-Bhutan trans-boundary cooperation, particularly in the conservation of Royal Manas National Park that shares international boundary with the Unesco World Heritage — Manas National Park in Assam.

“Successful conservation initiatives require unified approach from different governments notwithstanding geo-political boundaries. India and Bhutan share a unique bond, and it is only natural for the two countries to bring this cooperation in the field of wildlife conservation on a larger scale,” the executive director of Wildlife Trust of India, Vivek Menon, said.

He said with the signing of the agreement, there might be bigger opportunity to explore the expansion of the landscape conservation that was already taking shape in Assam as Greater Manas, into a transboundary initiative.

The IFAW-WTI had recently assisted Assam forest department to reinstate Manas as a World Heritage through its initiative, Bring Manas Back.

Bhutan, with a rare constitutional requirement to maintain at least 60 per cent of its area under forest cover at all times, is believed to have a healthy tiger population.

However, demands for tiger products impose severe threats on Bhutan’s tigers, a common menace in the Indian subcontinent.

The agreement includes building capacity of frontline forest staff for more effective anti-poaching operations, training for enforcement agencies like police, army, customs and other enforcement agencies under the ministry of agriculture and forests, Bhutan, in wildlife trade control.