India and Japan Endorse Five-Year Forestry Roadmap at 7th Joint Meeting in Bengaluru

Delegates from India and Japan gathered in Bengaluru on September 8, 2026, for the 7th Meeting of the India-Japan Joint Working Group (JWG) on bilateral cooperation in forestry and environmental conservation. The Indian delegation was led by Ramesh Kumar Pandey, Additional Director General of Forests from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, while the Japanese side was headed by Shimizu Kotaro, Deputy Director General of the Forestry Agency under Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. The meeting focused on three primary domains: the management and genetic improvement of Trees Outside Forests (TOFs), conservation of forest genetic resources and high-quality planting material, and the implementation of 'Forest Stack'—a modern monitoring system utilizing geospatial technologies and forest inventory mapping. At the conclusion of the talks, both nations officially endorsed the bilateral Roadmap for 2027–2031, renewing the Memorandum of Cooperation signed in 2015 to deepen research, capacity building, and biodiversity preservation. Following the formal sessions in Bengaluru, the joint delegation visited the Institute of Wood Science and Technology and interacted with senior Karnataka Forest Department officials. The foreign delegates subsequently toured sandalwood agro-forestry farms and processing depots in Mysuru, followed by a wildlife conservation study visit to the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, showcasing Karnataka's leading role in sustainable forest management.