World Rhino Day focus on India-Bhutan joint conservation

Environment and Ecology · 23 September 2026 · Based on The Hindu (original report)

2-minute summary

The Greater One-Horned Rhino population in Assam's Manas National Park has staged a remarkable recovery, growing from zero to nearly 50 individuals over the past two decades. This success is attributed to the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020) translocation programme, active community participation, and three consecutive years of zero poaching. However, this recovery has introduced a new conservation challenge: rhinos are increasingly crossing the international border into Bhutan's Royal Manas National Park. To address this transboundary movement, conservationists and forest officials are calling for a formal bilateral partnership between India and Bhutan. Such a joint framework would harmonize monitoring, security, and habitat management across the contiguous transboundary Manas landscape, serving as a model for regional ecological diplomacy.

Why it's in the news

On World Rhino Day (September 22, 2026), wildlife authorities celebrated the successful recovery of the one-horned rhino in Manas National Park. However, experts highlighted the urgent need for an India-Bhutan joint conservation mechanism due to the frequent transboundary movement of rhinos across the international border.

Facts to remember

• The Greater One-Horned Rhino population in Assam's Manas National Park has grown from zero to nearly 50 individuals over the past two decades.
• The recovery of rhinos in Manas National Park is attributed to the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020) translocation programme, active community participation, and three consecutive years of zero poaching.
• The Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020) was launched in 2005 by the Assam Forest Department in partnership with the Bodoland Territorial Council, WWF-India, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Under the IRV2020 program, 22 wild rhinos were translocated from Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary to Manas, alongside the rehabilitation of 20 orphaned rhinos.

Background and context

During the late 1980s and early 2000s, severe civil unrest and ethnic conflict in the Bodoland region led to rampant poaching in Manas National Park, completely wiping out its historical population of about 100 one-horned rhinos. To restore the ecosystem, the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020) was launched in 2005 by the Assam Forest Department in partnership with the Bodoland Territorial Council, WWF-India, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The initiative aimed to attain a wild rhino population of 3,000 in Assam by 2020, distributed across seven protected areas. Under this program, active translocations began in 2006, moving 22 wild rhinos from Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary to Manas, alongside rehabilitating 20 orphaned rhinos. Today, the population has stabilized and is breeding successfully, transforming Manas from a degraded habitat into a conservation success story.

Constitutional provisions

• Article 48A — Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) directing the State to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.
• Article 51A(g) — Fundamental Duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife.
• Seventh Schedule (List III - Concurrent List, Entry 17B) — Protection of wild animals and birds, allowing both Parliament and State Legislatures to enact laws on wildlife conservation.

Committees and reports

• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — Classifies the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros as 'Vulnerable', highlighting the global importance of population recovery programs like those in Manas.

Government schemes

• National Rhino Conservation Strategy — Focuses on conservation, habitat enrichment, and threat mitigation for the single-horned rhino in India, emphasizing transboundary cooperation.
• Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020) — A targeted initiative that successfully translocated rhinos to build a breeding, self-sustaining population in Manas National Park.

International organisations

• World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) — Key international NGO partner in the design, funding, and execution of the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 translocation program.
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) — Provides the global conservation status of species and guidelines for transboundary protected area management.

Previous UPSC questions on this theme

• Prelims GS-1 2019 — Consider the following statements : 1. Asiatic lion is naturally found in India only. 2. Double-humped camel is naturally found in India only. 3. One-horned rhinoceros is naturally found in India only. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) 1 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Mains practice: The recovery of the one-horned rhino in Manas National Park highlights the efficacy of community-led conservation and active translocation. Analyze the challenges associated with managing transboundary wildlife corridors and suggest measures to strengthen ecological diplomacy between India and its neighbors.

The successful restoration of the Greater One-Horned Rhino in Manas National Park—from local extinction to a breeding population of nearly 50—is a milestone for conservation. However, the frequent movement of these rhinos into Bhutan's Royal Manas National Park highlights the transboundary nature of ecosystems and the limitations of national-level protection.

**Challenges in Managing Transboundary Wildlife Corridors:**

• **Asymmetrical Legal and Security Frameworks:** Differences in wildlife protection laws, enforcement capacities, and anti-poaching protocols between neighboring countries can create security loopholes that poachers exploit.

• **Lack of Unified Monitoring:** Without synchronized tracking, census methodologies, and radio-telemetry sharing, it is difficult to maintain accurate population databases as animals cross borders.

• **Habitat Fragmentation and Land-Use Conflicts:** Infrastructure development, agricultural expansion, and varying levels of community engagement on either side of the border can disrupt critical migratory corridors.

• **Sovereignty and Border Security Concerns:** High-security border fencing and geopolitical sensitivities can restrict the free movement of wildlife and impede joint patrolling efforts by forest guards.

**Measures to Strengthen Ecological Diplomacy:**

• **Formalizing Transboundary Protected Areas (TBPAs):** India and Bhutan should sign a formal bilateral agreement to manage the contiguous Manas landscape as a unified ecological unit.

• **Joint Patrolling and Intelligence Sharing:** Establishing real-time communication channels and joint border patrols between the forest departments of Assam (India) and Bhutan to curb poaching.

• **Harmonized Conservation Protocols:** Standardizing wildlife monitoring tools (such as M-STrIPES) and conducting joint transboundary animal censuses.

• **Community-to-Community Cooperation:** Scaling up community-led conservation models across the border, fostering eco-tourism initiatives that benefit fringe populations in both nations.

**Conclusion:**

Ecological boundaries do not respect political borders. By institutionalizing a joint transboundary conservation mechanism, India and Bhutan can secure the future of the one-horned rhino while setting a global precedent for cooperative environmental diplomacy.

Prelims practice questions

Q1. With reference to the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros, consider the following statements: 1. It is currently listed as 'Endangered' on the IUCN Red List. 2. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam holds the highest density of this species in the world. 3. The Indian Rhino Vision 2020 aimed to distribute the rhino population across seven protected areas in Assam. Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: B. Statement 1 is incorrect: The Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros is listed as 'Vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List (downlisted from Endangered in 2008). Statement 2 is correct: Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary has the highest density of one-horned rhinos globally. Statement 3 is correct: The Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020) was initiated to expand the range of rhinos across seven protected areas in Assam to reduce risk from localized catastrophes.

Q2. Which of the following protected areas form a contiguous transboundary landscape between India and Bhutan? 1. Manas National Park 2. Royal Manas National Park 3. Buxa Tiger Reserve 4. Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 1, 2 and 3 only
3. 2 and 4 only
4. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Answer: D. All the listed protected areas are part of the contiguous transboundary landscape between India and Bhutan. Manas National Park (Assam) is contiguous with Royal Manas National Park (Bhutan). Buxa Tiger Reserve (West Bengal) and Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary (Bhutan) also form part of this shared transboundary conservation belt.

Q3. The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), which administers the region containing Manas National Park, is constituted under which schedule of the Constitution of India?

1. Sixth Schedule
2. Fifth Schedule
3. Ninth Schedule
4. Tenth Schedule

Answer: A. The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) is an autonomous district council established under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, which deals with the administration of tribal areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.

Revision flashcards

• What is the IUCN Red List status of the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros? Vulnerable (downlisted from Endangered in 2008).
• Which sanctuary in Assam is known for having the highest density of one-horned rhinos in the world? Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary.
• What is the transboundary counterpart of India's Manas National Park in Bhutan? Royal Manas National Park.
• Which program was launched in 2005 to translocate rhinos and build a population of 3,000 in Assam? Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV2020).
• Under which schedule of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 is the Indian Rhinoceros protected? Schedule I (granting it the highest level of legal protection).