Swechhya Shrestha
Fishing cat is a threatened species and has been found not only in the protected areas but are also living closely to human settlements in the Terai region, Nepal. Retaliatory killing for taking away poultry and fish from the private fishponds, poisoning in the natural waters and habitat destruction are the major threats to the Fishing cat. Fishing cat has been recorded from Jagadishpur Reservoir with threats of habitat destruction from drying up of reservoir. The project aims to undertake a down-top approach and initiate the community-based conservation of Fishing Cat in Jagdishpur Reservoir of Kapilvastu district Nepal.
The first photographic evidence of fishing cat in Jagdispur reservoir in 2015 assured the presence of the species in the area. Also, a preliminary survey to know the current status of the species depicted that fishing cat faces threats of poaching, retaliatory killing and drying of reservoir. Likewise, as per the survey, it was found that no indicative conservation actions have been conducted in the project site. Besides poaching and killing for retaliation fishing cat also faces threats like over harvesting of fishes from rivers and removing the riparian vegetation through overgrazing of livestock which brings the severe effect on the population of fishes, rodent, birds and reptiles, and also on cover for denning sites (Taylor et al.,2016). The Jagadishpur Reservoir in the study site is shrinking due to development activities affecting the survival of fishing cat.
Therefore, the main target of the project is to encourage the community for the conservation of fishing cat via conducting various activities. The existing local groups and committee will be approached for the collaboration for the accomplishment of project goals.
By the end of the project period an information board on conservation of fishing cat will be installed. Educational program in twenty schools, awareness campaign and Focal Group Discussion on conservation of fishing cat will be conducted near and around the project site. Monitoring of fishing cat using camera traps will be undertaken for 60 days in and around Jagadispur reservoir and the Ban Ganga River. The camera trap survey will produce the number of fishing cat using capture recapture method. In addition to the camera trap survey, 150 household questionnaire survey (overall household of ward no. 9 and 10) will also be carried out to understand the local perception on existing threats.
At the end of the project photo book will be produced. The photo book will include story of the project through photographs. The photo book will be distributed to the local government and the community. It is expected that a notable contribution will be made in the national policy making scenarios by the end of this project.