Bangladesh will host the next meeting of the India-Bangladesh Joint Working Group on Sundarbans biodiversity conservation. The Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, straddles both countries and is jointly managed under bilateral agreements. The meeting continues ongoing cooperation on protecting the shared ecosystem, which faces threats from climate change, sea-level rise, and human pressure. Both nations coordinate conservation efforts covering the Bengal tiger, Irrawaddy dolphins, and other endangered species inhabiting this transboundary UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Sundarbans is the world's largest contiguous mangrove forest, spanning approximately 10,000 sq km across India (West Bengal) and Bangladesh. India's portion (~4,260 sq km) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Tiger Reserve, while the Bangladesh portion (~6,017 sq km) is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Together they form a transboundary ecosystem of global significance.

The India-Bangladesh Joint Working Group (JWG) on Sundarbans biodiversity is the bilateral institutional mechanism for coordinating conservation. This sits within the broader framework of India-Bangladesh environmental diplomacy, which also covers river-water sharing (Ganga Water Treaty, 1996) and climate adaptation.

The Sundarbans is a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance — both the Indian Sundarbans (designated 2019) and the Bangladesh Sundarbans (designated 1992) carry Ramsar status. The Indian Sundarbans is also a Biosphere Reserve under UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programme.

Key threats driving the JWG agenda include: sea-level rise (the Sundarbans is among the most climate-vulnerable delta systems globally), tiger-human conflict, illegal poaching, and salinity intrusion into freshwater channels.

For exam purposes, the critical static layer is the classification stack: Tiger Reserve + Wildlife Sanctuary + Biosphere Reserve + Ramsar Site + UNESCO World Heritage Site — all applying simultaneously to the Indian Sundarbans. The nodal ministry for wildlife matters is the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The nodal body for Ramsar matters in India is also MoEFCC.

The bilateral conservation framework for Sundarbans is distinct from the broader Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) framework, though India's commitments under CBD's Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022) — including the 30×30 target — provide the global backdrop.