Dudhwa Tiger Reserve hosted a consultation workshop on species recovery plan and monitoring protocols, with a special focus on fishing cats on 10 and 11 March 2023.
The said workshop was organized under the aegis of GEF-GOI-UNDP-WWF-GTF supported project on small wild cat conservation. Participants deliberated upon evolving a landscape level strategy, involving multiple Government departments, and primary stakeholders (local communities). Existing distribution of fishing cats, and ongoing studies on its habitat and presence were also showcased to identify small wild cat conservation units. The project also aims to utilize the best practices and experience gained from the tiger agenda for conserving meso-predators like small cats, and their micro-habitats within larger tiger units like the Dudhwa landscape. The second day of the workshop was focused on developing a simplified monitoring protocol for cats, which can be implemented through Citizen Science and community stewardship, while bringing gains to local people.