Union Environment Minister inaugurates International Workshop

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, today 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. The workshop is being 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 2nd – 3rd September, 2026.

Dignitaries on dais included Secretary (EFCC), Shri Tanmay Kumar; DG (Forests) & Special Secretary (EFCC), Sushil Kumar Awasthi; DG IBCA, S.P. Yadav; Country Director for India (ADB), Ms. Mia Oka, besides senior officials from the Ministry, IBCA, NTCA, ADB and representatives from Tiger-range countries. The deliberations would focus 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.

During the event, the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) formalized their partnership through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking an important step towards strengthening collaboration in landscape conservation, sustainable development, capacity building, knowledge exchange, and nature-positive financing initiatives.
Welcoming the partnership between IBCA and the ADB, Ms. Mia Oka informed that 2026 marks the completion of 40 years of ADB’s partnership with India. (updated on 2nd Sept. 2026)