Communities in Northeast India are leading marbled cat conservation, with villages protecting the species through community-conserved areas, hunting restrictions, anti-poaching efforts and wildlife monitoring.The marbled cat remains one of Asia’s least-understood wild cats, with most scientific knowledge of the species still derived from camera-trap records.Conservation efforts are increasingly focusing on community-owned forests, recognising that many wild felids, including the marbled cat, depend on habitats beyond formal protected areas.
Conservationists and several communities in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland gathered on March 1 to mark the first-ever International Marbled Cat Day, drawing attention to one of Asia’s most elusive and least understood wild felids.
Conceptualised by the Eastern Himalayas Marbled Cat Project (EHMCP), in collaboration with state forest departments, the Day focused on engaging local communities and creating spaces for shared learning.
“This timing was chosen deliberately,” says Giridhar Malla, conservationist and founder of the EHMCP. “It marks a seasonal transition. When forests begin to shift with the onset of spring, there is renewed growth, and communities also start preparing for sowing. We saw this as a meaningful moment for people to reflect on ecological change and connect that sense of renewal with the importance of remembering and conserving the marbled cat across Northeast India.”
