The historic range of hispid hare extended from Uttar Pradesh in India through southern Nepal, the northern region of West Bengal to Assam, and into Bangladesh and Bhutan (Maheswaran & Smith, 2011). Today, distribution is assumed to be sporadic in Bhutan. Hispid hare (Caprolagus hispidus), although is threatened to extinction in many parts of its range in Bhutan, is one of the less studied endangered small mammal species, locally and globally. Knowledge of the distribution of hispidus has always been limited. Hence, the project is designed to assess the habitat and potential threats (both anthropogenic and natural) of the target species to develop appropriated conservation strategies, and educate the general public on conservation importance of Hispid hare through community involvement. The study site ranges from the terai region of tall grasslands in the south to sub-tropical warm broad-leaved forest towards the north. The habitat of the hispid hare in the proposed project area mainly consists of tall grassland, shrub lands, marshy areas, and wetlands.

Similarly, through the proposed conservation project, current habitat of the hispid hare will be assessed in potential sites in the study area, and conservation threats of the target species will be identified involving the relevant stakeholders like local communities, school children, protected area managers, local government, and other policy making bodies.

Furthermore, Nath (2010) states that, hispid hare is threatened by habitat destruction for agriculture, forestry, human settlement, flood control and irrigation schemes together with the adverse effects of burning of grasslands during the dry season, habitat degradation due to invasion of weeds, overgrazing by cattle, excessive harvesting of thatch grass by the local communities and hunting for meat. The habitat of the target species in the Himalayan foothills is highly fragmented due to aforementioned anthropogenic stressors. Thus, the core aim of the project is to determine the occurrence of the hispid hare in the study site in Bhutan, and address its potential threats.