Rome. A delegation from the Government of India met with a delegation from the Government of Tanzania and a representative from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for Africa to discuss opportunities for cooperation between Tanzania and India in forest and wildlife conservation.

The discussions took place yesterday, July 24, 2024, at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, and were led by Shri. Jitendra Kumar is the director general of forests and the special secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) India. The Tanzanian delegation was led by the Conservation Commissioner of the Tanzania Forest Services (TFS), Prof. Dos Santos Silayo, who is also the Vice-Chair of the 27th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO27) and a representative of the African Commission on Forestry and Wildlife.

Other senior officials from India who attended the meeting included Shri. R. Raghú Prasad, Inspector General of Forests, Shri. Kamal Ject Singh, Deputy Inspector General of Forests from MoEFCC, Shri Anoop Singh, Director General of Forest Research in India, and several embassy officials. The Tanzanian side included Dr. Elikana John, Senior Conservation Officer and Forest Expert, and Edward Kilawe, a Tanzanian and FAO Representative for Africa, based at the headquarters in Accra, Ghana.

Prof. Silayo stated that the discussions focused on international cooperation in building capacity for forest resource assessment, including forest mapping and research, the development of a real-time forest fire monitoring system, and participation in the International Big Cat Alliance, which involves South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

"Together, we discussed the importance of our two countries cooperating in conservation as a continuation of the strong relations that exist between Tanzania and India, as encouraged by the esteemed leaders of our countries!

We have agreed to start talks to enable Tanzania to join the International Big Cat Alliance, which brings together countries to strengthen conservation efforts for big cats. This alliance will allow our countries to exchange experiences, expertise, technology, and equipment to facilitate the conservation and monitoring of forests and wildlife resources. Discussions are ongoing to achieve this goal. We thank the Tanzanian Embassy in Rome for coordinating these discussions," he said.

The bilateral meeting, held on the sidelines of the 27th Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO), provided a platform for both sides to explore cooperative approaches that would benefit the forestry and wildlife sectors.