KATHMANDU, APRIL 29 The Ministry of Forests and Environment and WWF Nepal have formalised a Scope of Cooperation aimed at scaling biodiversity conservation and sustainable development efforts across Nepal, with WWF Nepal committing to mobilise up to USD 40 million over ten years to support implementation. The agreement, signed on Monday in Kathmandu, aligns joint efforts with Nepal's national conservation priorities and international commitments spanning biodiversity, forests, climate change, wetlands, agriculture, and the Sustainable Development Goals. Under the partnership, the two institutions will jointly design and implement programmes across conservation landscapes and protected areas. A Program Executive Committee - co-chaired by the Director Generals of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation - will oversee execution. Funding will be channelled through grant agreements with implementing agencies in line with agreed modalities, subject to fund availability, according to the press release issued by the WWF Nepal. Implementation will extend beyond the central government, with WWF Nepal working in coordination with Provincial Ministries of Forests, Division Forest Offices, Protected Area Offices, buffer zone institutions, community forest management groups, and local and national non-governmental organisations. 'This collaboration with WWF Nepal strengthens our efforts to conserve biodiversity, address climate change, and promote sustainable development in Nepal,' said Dr. Rajendra KC, Chief of the Planning, Monitoring and Coordination Division at MoFE. 'By aligning resources and expertise, we will enhance the implementation of national policies and ensure that conservation delivers tangible benefits to people and ecosystems alike.' WWF Nepal Country Representative Dr. Ghana Shyam Gurung said the partnership was rooted in a shared commitment to both conservation and community wellbeing. 'Through this Scope of Cooperation, we aim to scale impactful, science-based and community-driven solutions across conservation landscapes, contributing to Nepal's national priorities and global environmental commitments,' he said. The agreement recognises landscape-level strategies and species conservation action plans as essential to effective on-the-ground implementation, and frames the conservation of biological resources as a foundation for Nepal's broader sustainable development agenda.