Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, inaugurated a 2-day International Workshop on the theme 'Tiger Landscapes: Conservation, Bioeconomy and Ecotourism as Pillars for Livelihood and Income Generation' in New Delhi on September 2, 2026. The workshop is jointly organized by the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
During the event, IBCA and ADB formalized their partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in landscape conservation, sustainable development, capacity building, knowledge exchange, and nature-positive financing initiatives. The workshop focuses on recognizing tiger landscapes as natural capital, highlighting the value of ecosystem services, and exploring how conservation, bioeconomy, and ecotourism can serve as key drivers of sustainable livelihoods, local income generation, and long-term ecological security.
Minister Yadav emphasized India's conservation journey under Project Tiger, noting that tiger survival is linked to forest health, grasslands, rivers, prey species, wildlife corridors, and local communities. He stressed that 'Conservation with harmony and Human-nature coexistence should be the foundation of ecological conservation' and highlighted the importance of nature-based solutions, innovative financing mechanisms, and community-based ecotourism. The minister called for codifying traditional knowledge and incorporating it into policymaking for conservation, bioeconomy, and ecotourism.
Ms. Mia Oka, Country Director for India (ADB), noted that 2026 marks 40 years of ADB's partnership with India and highlighted ADB's role in bringing together big cat range countries to share India's conservation experience and create sustainable financing opportunities. The workshop includes participants from tiger-range countries including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Nepal, and Vietnam, along with senior officials from MoEFCC, State Forest Departments, Tiger Reserves, development partners, researchers, and conservation practitioners.