India\'s Cross-Border Wildlife Corridors with Bhutan and Myanmar: The Hidden Highways Tigers and Elephants Depend On

Introduction

Wildlife corridors are strips of natural habitat that connect otherwise separated forests, allowing animals to move, breed, and survive across larger landscapes. India shares long, forested borders with both Bhutan and Myanmar, and several of the country's most important tiger, elephant and rhino habitats lie directly across these frontiers. This makes transboundary — or cross-border — conservation a practical necessity rather than a diplomatic courtesy, since wild animals do not recognise international boundaries. The subject is especially relevant for readers preparing for the APSC and ADRE examinations, since Assam sits at the centre of India's most active transboundary conservation landscape, the Manas region shared with Bhutan.

Article Theme

This article explains what wildlife corridors are, why India's borders with Bhutan and Myanmar host some of Asia's most significant transboundary conservation landscapes, and what this means for Assam's forests, exam aspirants and the wider Northeast.

What Is a Transboundary Wildlife Corridor?

A transboundary wildlife corridor is a connected stretch of forest or grassland that spans an international border and allows wild animals to move safely between protected areas in two or more countries. Along the India-Bhutan and India-Myanmar frontiers, these corridors link national parks, tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries into a single functional ecosystem, rather than isolated, fenced-off patches.

The two most significant examples in this region are the Transboundary Manas Conservation Area (TraMCA), created in 2011 between India and Bhutan, and the Namdapha-Hkakabo Razi landscape, an unofficial ecological continuum between Arunachal Pradesh in India and Kachin State in Myanmar (Source: IUCN, December 2020; UNESCO World Heritage Centre tentative list). These landscapes are not marked by walls or checkpoints in their core forest zones — instead, cooperation happens through joint patrolling, camera-trap monitoring, and formal agreements between forest departments on both sides.

Why This Topic Matters

Wildlife corridors between India, Bhutan and Myanmar matter because they protect some of the last remaining habitats for tigers, Asian elephants and greater one-horned rhinoceroses in the Eastern Himalayas and Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspots. Species such as tigers and elephants require ranges far larger than any single national park can provide, so fragmentation on either side of a border directly threatens the survival of populations on the other side. For Assam specifically, the Manas Tiger Reserve — a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site — depends on continued connectivity with Bhutan's Royal Manas National Park to remain ecologically viable (Source: IUCN, December 2020). Readers preparing for competitive exams can review related environmental topics through the current affairs for APSC and ADRE section for updates on such conservation landscapes.

Key Facts, Rules and Features

• The Transboundary Manas Conservation Area (TraMCA) was formally established in 2011 through a Letter of Agreement between Bhutan's Department of Forests and Park Services and Assam's Bodoland Territorial Council (Source: naturalresourcespolicy.org, TraMCA profile).
• TraMCA covers more than 6,500 square kilometres, extending from the Sankosh river in the west to the Jomotsangkha Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan, and connects Manas National Park in Assam with Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan (Source: TraMCA Bhutan-India profile, naturalresourcespolicy.org).
• The combined TraMCA landscape supports more than 1,500 species of mammals, birds and vascular plants, including tigers, Asian elephants, greater one-horned rhinoceroses, pygmy hogs and clouded leopards (Source: IUCN, December 2020).
• India shares a 699-kilometre border with Bhutan running through Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, and a 1,643-kilometre border with Myanmar running through Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram (Source: Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India).
• Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh is ecologically contiguous with Myanmar's Hkakabo Razi National Park, together forming part of a landscape recognised as one of the most intact forest complexes in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region (Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre tentative list; ResearchGate, 2019 review).
• India's Project Elephant Division under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) recorded 150 elephant corridors nationally in its 2023 report, up from 101 corridors identified by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in 2017 and 88 in the original 2005 study — the figures differ because later surveys used updated field data and additional state government inputs (Source: Project Elephant Division, MoEFCC, 2023; WTI Right of Passage, 2nd edition).
• A elephant corridor connecting Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India with Bardia National Park in Nepal illustrates how such connectivity studies also extend to India's other Himalayan neighbours, not only Bhutan and Myanmar (Source: Elephant Corridors of India, 2023 report).

Detailed Explanation and Breakdown

The India-Bhutan Corridor: TraMCA and the Manas Landscape

The core of the India-Bhutan wildlife corridor is the pairing of Assam's Manas Tiger Reserve with Bhutan's Royal Manas National Park, Bhutan's oldest protected area. On the Bhutanese side, the conservation area extends further north to Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary, Jomotsangkha Wildlife Sanctuary and Sarpang Forest Division; on the Indian side, it stretches from Ripu-Chirang Reserved Forest in the west across Manas National Park to Khalingduar Reserved Forest in eastern Assam (Source: TraMCA Bhutan-India profile). Camera-trap surveys conducted jointly by both countries have recorded healthy tiger and prey populations on both sides of the border, and forest officials from Bhutan and India now coordinate patrolling to address poaching and habitat fragmentation together rather than separately (Source: IUCN, December 2020). Conservation groups including Aaranyak and WWF-India work alongside Bhutanese and Assamese authorities within this framework.

However, connectivity within Assam itself is uneven. According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), "stepping stone" linkages exist between Gorumara, Jaldapara, Buxa and Ripu-Chirang forests, but connectivity between Ripu-Chirang, Manas and the Sonai-Rupai-Nameri landscape further east has degraded, limiting the range over which elephants and tigers can move even within Indian territory (Source: NTCA brief note on Manas Tiger Reserve). Readers can explore related ecological context in the article on the Brahmaputra River System, since the Manas landscape's rivers ultimately feed into the Brahmaputra basin.

The India-Myanmar Corridor: Namdapha-Hkakabo Razi

Unlike TraMCA, the India-Myanmar link has no single formal joint-management treaty; it is instead an ecological continuity recognised by researchers and conservation bodies rather than a named administrative programme. Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district lies directly west of Myanmar's Hkakabo Razi National Park, established in 1998 as Myanmar's largest national park, covering 3,810 square kilometres (Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre tentative list, Hkakabo Razi Landscape). Together with China's Gaoligongshan Nature Reserve, these three protected areas form a transboundary complex at the meeting point of the Himalaya, Indo-Burma and South-West China biodiversity hotspots, hosting species found nowhere else, including the Namdapha flying squirrel and the Myanmar snub-nosed monkey near the China-Myanmar section (Source: ScienceDirect review, January 2022).

This corridor faces a distinct challenge that TraMCA does not: border security infrastructure. The Ministry of Home Affairs announced in February 2024 that it would fence the entire 1,643-kilometre India-Myanmar border and end the decades-old Free Movement Regime that had allowed visa-free local movement across the frontier (Source: Ministry of Home Affairs, February 2024; MP-IDSA commentary, March 2025). While this policy is aimed at security concerns rather than wildlife, conservationists note that continuous fencing along forested stretches can also interrupt the movement of large mammals that historically crossed the border seasonally.

Real-World Examples and Use Cases

The Manas landscape is the clearest working example of transboundary conservation in the region: joint camera-trapping between Bhutan and India has directly informed tiger population estimates on both sides, and local Green Corridor Champions — village-level volunteers — assist forest staff with patrolling in Assam's Manas buffer zones (Source: IUCN, December 2020; Wildlife Trust of India). Another practical example is the Chilla-Motichur elephant corridor in Uttarakhand, which, while not international, is frequently cited in the same national reports as a model for how encroached corridors can be legally reclaimed and restored (Source: Wildlife Trust of India, Right of Passage project page). These precedents shape how future India-Myanmar cooperation could be structured if a formal agreement is negotiated.

Common Misunderstandings

A frequent misunderstanding is that wildlife corridors require the physical removal of international border infrastructure; in practice, most transboundary conservation areas operate through cooperation agreements and joint monitoring within existing sovereign boundaries, not through open borders. Another misconception is that the India-Myanmar wildlife landscape is governed by a formal treaty similar to TraMCA — as of 2026, no equivalent bilateral conservation agreement exists for the Namdapha-Hkakabo Razi landscape; it remains a recognised ecological continuum studied by researchers rather than a jointly administered protected area. It is also incorrect to assume elephant corridor counts are fixed — India's own figures have changed from 88 (2005) to 101 (2017) to 150 (2023) as survey methods and state-level data improved, so any number cited should always include its source year.

Impact on Students, Careers and Society

For APSC, ADRE and UPSC aspirants, transboundary conservation is a recurring theme in general studies and current affairs sections, often linked with questions on biodiversity hotspots, protected area categories, and India's international environmental commitments. Understanding TraMCA specifically connects to broader Assam-centric topics such as the National Green Tribunal's role in Assam's environmental cases and the state's wetlands and Ramsar sites, both of which frequently appear alongside corridor-related questions in exam current affairs sets. Beyond examinations, careers in forestry services, wildlife biology, GIS-based conservation mapping and NGO-led community conservation in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh increasingly depend on this transboundary framework, since funding and field postings in these landscapes are tied directly to TraMCA and similar programmes.

Important Clarification

Readers should note that "wildlife corridor" in Indian policy documents can refer either to small local land strips (such as a single elephant crossing point between two forest patches) or to vast transboundary landscapes spanning thousands of square kilometres, such as TraMCA. The scale differs enormously, and government reports generally specify which type is being discussed — this distinction should not be assumed to be interchangeable when reading official notifications.

Key Takeaways

• Wildlife corridors along India's borders with Bhutan and Myanmar connect protected areas across international boundaries, allowing tigers, elephants and rhinos to move between habitats.
• The Transboundary Manas Conservation Area (TraMCA), established in 2011, links Assam's Manas Tiger Reserve with Bhutan's Royal Manas National Park across more than 6,500 square kilometres.
• India shares a 699-kilometre border with Bhutan and a 1,643-kilometre border with Myanmar, both running through Northeast Indian states (Source: Ministry of Home Affairs).
• The Namdapha-Hkakabo Razi landscape links Arunachal Pradesh with Myanmar's Kachin State but currently lacks a formal bilateral conservation treaty like TraMCA.
• India's national elephant corridor count has risen from 88 (2005) to 101 (2017) to 150 (2023) as survey data has improved.
• Border security measures, including the 2024 decision to fence the India-Myanmar border, present a distinct challenge for wildlife movement in that corridor.
• Assam-based conservation NGOs such as Aaranyak work jointly with Bhutanese authorities within the TraMCA framework.
• This topic is directly relevant to APSC, ADRE and UPSC current affairs preparation, particularly under environment and biodiversity sections.

Official Sources and References

• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), "Beyond borders: How Bhutan and India are saving the tiger," December 2020
• Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, Border Management-I Division notifications
• National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Manas Tiger Reserve brief note
• Project Elephant Division, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), "Elephant Corridors of India," 2023
• Wildlife Trust of India, "Right of Passage: Elephant Corridors of India," 2nd edition
• UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Hkakabo Razi Landscape tentative list documentation
• Transboundary Manas Conservation Area (TraMCA) Bhutan-India profile, naturalresourcespolicy.org

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What is the Transboundary Manas Conservation Area (TraMCA)?
rnA1: TraMCA is a joint conservation landscape established in 2011 between India and Bhutan, connecting Assam's Manas Tiger Reserve with Bhutan's Royal Manas National Park across more than 6,500 square kilometres (Source: naturalresourcespolicy.org).

Q2: Does India have a formal wildlife corridor agreement with Myanmar?
rnA2: No. As of 2026, there is no formal bilateral conservation treaty between India and Myanmar comparable to TraMCA; the Namdapha-Hkakabo Razi landscape is recognised as an ecological continuum by researchers rather than a jointly administered programme.

Q3: How long is the India-Bhutan border, and which Indian states does it pass through?
rnA3: The India-Bhutan border is 699 kilometres long and runs through Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh (Source: Ministry of Home Affairs).

Q4: How long is the India-Myanmar border?
rnA4: The India-Myanmar border is 1,643 kilometres long, running through Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram (Source: Ministry of Home Affairs).

Q5: How many elephant corridors exist in India as of 2023?
rnA5: India's Project Elephant Division under the MoEFCC recorded 150 elephant corridors nationally in its 2023 report, an increase from 101 in 2017 and 88 in 2005.

Q6: Which species benefit most from the India-Bhutan Manas corridor?
rnA6: Tigers, Asian elephants, greater one-horned rhinoceroses, pygmy hogs and clouded leopards are among the key species supported by the Manas transboundary landscape (Source: IUCN, December 2020).

Q7: Why is border fencing a concern for wildlife corridors?
rnA7: Continuous border fencing, such as the project announced for the India-Myanmar border in February 2024, can physically block the seasonal movement routes that large mammals use to cross between forest habitats on either side.

Q8: Which Indian national park connects with Myanmar's Hkakabo Razi National Park?
rnA8: Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh's Changlang district is ecologically contiguous with Hkakabo Razi National Park in Myanmar's Kachin State.

Q9: Who manages the Indian side of the TraMCA landscape in Assam?
rnA9: The Bodoland Territorial Council, along with Assam's forest department and conservation partners such as Aaranyak, participates in managing the Indian side of the TraMCA landscape.

Q10: Is this topic relevant for APSC or ADRE exam preparation?
rnA10: Yes. Transboundary conservation, biodiversity hotspots and Assam-specific ecological landscapes are recurring themes in general studies and current affairs sections of APSC, ADRE and UPSC examinations.

Q11: What is the difference between a local elephant corridor and a landscape-level corridor like TraMCA?
rnA11: A local elephant corridor is typically a narrow land strip connecting two nearby forest patches, while a landscape-level corridor such as TraMCA spans thousands of square kilometres and includes multiple protected areas across an international border.

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