Meghalaya deploys 161 camera traps to map elusive small cats, mammals

Meghalaya has deployed 161 camera traps as part of a scientific conservation project to track small wild cats and other elusive mammals across the state's forests and build a detailed database of their distribution and habitat use.

The project, titled “Strengthening In-Situ Conservation of Small Cats and Other Elusive Mammals in the State of Meghalaya,” is being implemented jointly by the Meghalaya Forest and Environment Department and the Global Tiger Forum (GTF).

The initiative aims to map the distribution and status of small cat species, understand how different species coexist, strengthen frontline and community-based wildlife monitoring and eventually prepare a state-level atlas and conservation action plan.

“Camera trapping provides a scientific way of documenting species that are rarely seen and helps us understand their distribution and habitat use,” a forest official involved in the project said.

As many as 161 camera traps were procured during 2020-21 to create a database on the occurrence and distribution of small cats and other elusive mammals in Meghalaya.

Camera-trapping work has so far been completed in Balpakram National Park and adjoining Community Reserves in South Garo Hills. Field teams have also conducted vegetation surveys, collected scat samples and documented direct and indirect signs of mammals.

The project also examines the relationship between wildlife and communities living around forest habitats. Socio-economic surveys were conducted in villages bordering Balpakram to assess household conditions, dependence on forests and human-wildlife interactions.

Community awareness programmes were also organised in South Garo Hills, including at Gongrot village and Don Bosco Higher Secondary School in Baghmara.

The latest phase of the project has focused on strengthening the skills of frontline forest personnel involved in collecting field data.

The GTF, in collaboration with the Meghalaya Forest Department, conducted a capacity-building workshop for frontline staff in Shillong on September 29. The training covered camera trapping, socio-economic surveys, biological sample collection, habitat and floral identification and field-data collection.

“Frontline personnel are often the first to encounter tracks, scat and other signs of wildlife, so their field skills are crucial to building a reliable database,” the official said.

The project is designed to go beyond identifying which species are found in Meghalaya and examine where they occur, which habitats they use and how different species coexist.

“Ultimately, the objective is to develop a better understanding of these species and their habitats so that conservation measures can be planned scientifically and with community participation,” the official said.

Findings from Balpakram and other landscapes covered by the project are expected to contribute to the preparation of a state-level atlas and conservation action plan for small cats and other elusive mammals.