(PICA Small Grant Programme)
Leader(s):
Bikram Shresth
Organisation(s):
Forum of Natural Resource Managers (FONAREM)
Period:
2021 – 2022
GOAL
Increase the knowledge on Pallas’s cat population size, density and suitable habitat. This could pave way out for further scientific researches and help in local or national level management plan.
Summary
The Pallas’s cat symbolizes the high-altitude ecosystems. In Nepal, it was first discovered in 2012 from Upper Manang of Annapurna Conservation Area during snow leopard monitoring using camera trap (Shrestha et al. 2014). Besides this, it has been recently recorded by genetic analysis of a fecal sample during wolf study (Werhahn et al. 2018) and an image captured by camera trap during snow leopard monitoring (Dhendup et al. 2019) in Shey-Phoksundo National Park.
Apart from basic research in Upper Manang, no systematic surveys on Pallas’s cats have been done in other parts of Nepal. Some of the main drawbacks concerning Pallas’s cat conservation is that there is no relevant data on their occurrence throughout their range of habitat which hampers the establishment of the effective conservation plans. The project aims to conduct the research on abundance, density and habitat suitability modeling of Pallas’s cats in Manaslu Conservation Area. Also investigate the key mortality causes of Palla’s cats based on survey results (free-ranging dogs, poisoning, etc.)
TEAM
PARTNERS
SUPPORTED BY
PICA Small Grant Programme