Biodiversity Youth Camp, Sri Lanka
by Ashan Thudugala, Save Fishing Cats
The 9th annual Biodiversity Youth Camp 2025 was a huge success! This year's event was organized by the Save Fishing Cat team in collaboration with Marine Conservation Society and generously supported by the Dilmah Conservation and Sustainability Fund, Rufford Foundation, Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance, and Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation.
Seventy-five students from nine different institutes participated in the three-day program held at a remote location surrounded by serine cloud forest and tea plantation landscapes in the central hills of Sri Lanka. The event started with a 3-km hike to the camp location where our team assisted in preparing the camp site. For three days, everyone participated in nature walks, birding sessions, hands-on experience with field mammals, bird and herpetofauna monitoring methods including the use of trail cameras, capturing and tagging small mammals, and scat and pug mark observations. In addition, informative presentations led by experts on trends in conservation, scientific writing and ethics, introduction to eDNA, how to secure project fundings, the impacts of climate change, marine conservation, and threat reduction programs were also conducted. Lively discussions, often well after dark, were held.
Our program ended with a public event about snakes and myths targeting tea plantation workers and our camp students. This session not only helped dispel common misconceptions about snakes but also taught basic safety measures and species identification, making a real impact on the community.
The goal of our annual Youth Camps is to inspire and recruit new members into our community of passionate young conservationists, equipping them with knowledge, connections, and a deeper understanding of nature no matter what career they choose to follow. If past Youth Camps are an accurate measure of our impact, we anticipate that more than 90% will join our network of action-based conservationists spanning Sri Lanka.
Winning hearts and minds: The making of a mural, Chile
by Carlos Castro, Colocolo Conservation Project
Cajón del Maipo is a hotspot for wild cats in central Chile where Colocolo, Guigna, Andean cat, and Puma co-occur within just a few kilometers of a small village. The Colocolo Conservation Project visited El Manzano School to carry out environmental education activities and collaborate on a large mural featuring our flagship species. Colocolo Conservation Project volunteers worked with the children who quickly took ownership of the project.
The students and teachers selected both the animals and the wall itself. Colocolo Conservation Project supplied all the materials necessary to complete the project. With great pride, the students and teachers can say the artwork is 100% their own creation. The result is indeed stunning.
Conserving Fishing cats door-to-door, Nepal
by Ganesh Puri, Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance
To celebrate Fishing Cat February 2025, I initiated a door-to-door campaign to assist fish farmers. Our campaign continued throughout February. Our goal was to reach as many active and potential fish farmers as possible, particularly those that had experienced the loss of fish due to Fishing cat predation. Our goal was to fix problems before problems occurred.
On the very first day of our campaign, our team learned from fish farmers themselves what to expect. This unique approach of engaging fish farmers provided us with valuable insights we can use in future campaigns. We are hopeful that this initiative will generate positive momentum and uncover even more crucial information about the Fishing cat and its conservation needs as well as making fishing farmers into our conservation allies.
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