Project Summary
The project “Community driven conservation of the Himalayan Serow (Capricornis sumatraensis thar) in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand”, selected under WWF India’s flagship Conservation Catalyst Programme (CCP), focuses on conserving the Himalayan Serow, a rare and elusive ungulate, classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Despite its ecological significance, the Himalayan Serow face threats from habitat degradation, poaching, and climate change.
The project aims to initiate following measures in the first phase (July 2025 to June 2026) -
Monitoring & Assessment: Monitor population and habitat of Himalayan Serow through scientific methods such as camera traps, transect surveys and citizen science initiatives. Establish baseline data of other biodiversity and wildlife around the project site.
Capacity Building: Train local indigenous youth as naturalists to drive community driven conservation, deter hunting activities and promote livelihood.
Governance & Institutional Body: Build a local village conservation committee to sustain community driven conservation and drive local ownership.
Community Engagement & Awareness: Sensitize and raise awareness about the biological diversity of the region, with specific focus on the Himalayan Serow.
Community Driven Conservation
EcoSanskriti has been working closely with the local community to identify wildlife ambassadors and nature enthusiasts. Currently, we have a team of community members who are actively involved in all our citizen science initiatives and programs. Forests around Dharkot village are endemic to rare and vulnerable species like Himalayan Goral, Himalayan Serow, leopard cat and masked palm civet. Our community members have reported multiple direct and indirect sightings of these animals from the community forests around Dharkot.
Keep watching this space for more updates on the project.
