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 (Aug 2025 to June 2026) -

Biodiversity Assessment & Monitoring: Data obtained from camera traps, supplemented with structured field surveys will facilitate monitoring wildlife species such as Himalayan Serow and document other biodiversity within the proposed area.

Capacity Building: Train local youth as naturalists to drive community led conservation, and promote livelihood.

Governance & Institutional Body: Build a local village conservation committee / Van Panchayat to sustain community driven conservation and drive local ownership.

Community Engagement & Awareness: Sensitize and raise awareness about the biological diversity of the region.

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.

A poster displaying WWF's Conservation Catalyst Programme Awardees for 2025-26, featuring six different animals and their conservation initiatives in various locations. Top row: Yellow-breasted Bunting from Manipur, India, and Pangolin from Nagaland,
A young goat with brown fur, small curved horns, and a white patch on its nose, standing on rocky terrain surrounded by green foliage.
A goat standing on a rocky, dry hillside with sparse vegetation and cacti.
Two young calves standing on a grassy hillside surrounded by tall, wild grass.
Two goats on a grassy hillside, one standing and one laying down among brown and green foliage.

Support our Conservation Efforts in Uttarakhand

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