Turning a threat to Fishing cats into an opportunity

Tiasa Adhya, India, The Fishing Cat Project  

Water hyacinth chokes and constipates wetlands.  Water hyacinth stops the flow of water and clogs channels.  As a consequence, Impurities accumulate, dissolved oxygen decreases, and the entire wetland suffers and chokes, unable to breathe and survive.  In India, water hyacinth is an invasive—a non-native species increasing in the absence of native co-occurring safeguards that limit growth.  In the absence of safeguards such as in Asia, water hyacinth has become a menace of wetlands.

Why should we care about an invasive plant and wetlands?  The answer is simple: Fishing cats, the top predatory feline in South and Southeast Asian wetlands, live there and many rural people's livelihoods depend on wetlands.  A clogged wetland means reduced abundance and diversity of fishes and an unhealthy environ for Fishing cats, their prey, and humans dependent on healthy wetlands.

Chilika Lagoon, Asia's largest brackish water lagoon, India's first Ramsar site and an important location for Fishing cats, is threatened by water hyacinth.  Standing at the edge of the lagoon and seeing the extent of water hyacinth presents a daunting, formidable challenge that calls for creative solutions.  How do we turn a threat into an opportunity?  Water hyacinth must have a value so that its removal becomes a profitable enterprise.  Hatabaradi Women's Group was born.

We are training local women to make crafts such as baskets, wall hangings, wildlife souvenirs (Fishing Cat pugmark replicas) and dinnerware out of water hyacinth.  The income generated from selling the items incentivizes regular water hyacinth removal.  As with all such projects, the creation of a market is essential.  Making crafts and dinnerware is the first step in a long chain that leads to sustainable income.  We have identified diverse opportunities. First, Chilika Lagoon has many tourist spots so we will add souvenir shops with water hyacinth crafts highlighting the culture and biodiversity for tourists.  Second, villages around Chilika have local food stalls serving snacks in thermocols (takeout paper boxes).  It's not hard to guess where thermocols end up—Chilika Lagoon.  What if biodegradable hyacinth made into plates and bowls could replace the harmful non-degradable thermocol?  Third, throughout the year, many local fairs are held around Chilika so we have identified items that have local appeal and are readily purchased such as flower baskets, handbags, and wall hangings.

To save Fishing cats and restore Chilika Lagoon, we must work with local people to improve their lives by tying ecosystem health to sustainable livelihoods.  Often, creative solutions are needed.   That's where we come in.

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Chicken coops saving Jaguarundis in Campeche, Mexico

by Mariam Weston, Mexico, Ocelot Working Group

We recently installed two predator-proof chicken coops in the community of Benito Juárez, Campeche, where local women had been losing chickens due to predation.  Thanks to the efforts of our partners Anuar Hernandez and Patricio Canuel, we were able to confirm that the culprit was a Jaguarundi.  The Jaguarundi is a threatened species in Mexico, and one of its main threats is retaliatory killing—especially when a jaguarundi preys on chickens thus impacting the livelihoods of vulnerable communities that lack the tools to prevent conflict.  The outcome is never good for Jaguarundis

That's why the Ocelot Working Group works hand-in-hand with partners like Benito Juárez to implement simple but effective solutions that promote coexistence with these incredible wild cats.  The co-design and installation of predator-proof chicken coops is an effective measure to prevent poultry predation by small wildcats such as the Jaguarundi.  So far, the chicken coops are working very well, and the community is happy with the results.  So is our team.

In Bioto, Jalisco, small wild cats face other threats.  This past month, we continued our work in the Indigenous community of Bioto, Jalisco, a remote area where we're promoting responsible dog ownership to help reduce threats to Margays and Ocelots.  In previous years, the community reported sightings of Ocelots with sarcoptic mange and incidents of dogs preying on wild cats.  In response, we're now collaborating with residents to install trail cameras, wildlife-friendly water troughs, and carry out dog vaccination and sterilization campaigns.  We're also organizing community workshops to raise awareness and strengthen local involvement in conservation.  This initiative is led by our newest team member, Alba Maya, who just received her first Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund grant to support this important work.

Now for an important announcement. I'm beyond thrilled to share that our small wild cat conservation project in Morelos has been awarded the Fondo Verde Prize—a grant of 1 million pesos (~$50,000 USD) to continue and expand our work!  This support will help us strengthen efforts to protect Margay and Jaguarundi, reduce threats from free-ranging dogs, and promote responsible dog ownership through our One Health approach.

In just the past eight months, we've successfully neutered 298 dogs and vaccinated over 140 in communities near protected areas where small wild cats still roam.  Now, with this award, we're excited to expand the project to new communities across the state.

It still feels surreal that the state government is recognizing small wild cats as flagship species and investing in proactive threat reduction strategies—not just monitoring—for species that often go overlooked.  It's a powerful affirmation of a project we've poured our hearts into since 2019.

A heartfelt thank you to our incredible partners, Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation, and Big Cat Rescue who were the first to believe in us.  We wouldn't be here without you.

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