New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS): India and Nepal have signed an agreement to jointly protect wildlife in the Himalayan region along the border, an wildlife conservation society official said.

Besides jointly guarding forests, the two neighbours will coordinate the implementation of their national action plans to protect tigers, rhinos and elephants, said Samir Sinha, head of TRAFFIC India, which works for protecting tigers.

The two countries agreed to strengthening the capacity of personnel involved in wildlife conservation, by intensifying the joint patrolling along the border, he said.

"With wildlife moving freely across the border and illegal wildlife trade increasingly a transnational crime, such inter-country agreements are imperative for ensuring adequate biodiversity conservation in South Asia," said Sinha.

The agreement was signed in Kathmandu last week between senior officials of India’s National Tiger Conservation Authority and Nepal’s Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, he said.

"The new collaboration will enable a better flow of intelligence between India and Nepal and lead to joint operations to curb the illegal wildlife trade," he said.