22 October 2014: Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal have joined the ‘Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Wildlife Protection in Asia (SRCWP)’ project of the World Bank. The three countries expect to share information, innovative practices, and the results of their efforts to conserve wildlife and address poaching, including for tigers.

This World Bank regional project was launched in 2011 in Bangladesh, and has followed a two-pronged approach: capacity building to address illegal wildlife trade through regional cooperation, and habitat protection and management to promote regional conservation benefits and address human-wildlife conflict. To date, in Bangladesh, 171 wildlife offenders were arrested between 2012 and April 2014, and implementation of the National Tiger Recovery Plan has proceeded under the project.

Also in the region, India has committed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on wildlife and ecosystems conservation in cooperation with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. [World Bank News][Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Wildlife Protection in Asia project]