Wildlife watchers turn conservationists in grasslands around Pune district

In an initiative which demonstrates that coexistence between wildlife and urban development is possible, more than 40 residents of villages around Pune - trained as 'wildlife watchers' to report sightings of elusive species such as the Indian grey wolf, striped hyena and leopard - have submitted over 350 verified reports covering more than 60 species of mammals, birds and reptiles within just six months.

- Gayatri Vajpeyee

PUNE:

What's more, over 30 of these reports have prompted direct conservation interventions, including alerts about poaching and confirmations of breeding activity.

This initiative, launched by The Grasslands Trust in partnership with the Pune forest department and Ashraya Hastha Trust, empowers local communities to become frontline conservationists through a custom mobile app and basic field kits.

The 'Wildlife Watcher programme' is set in the grasslands and scrublands surrounding Pune, one of India's few megacities where large carnivores still inhabit human-dominated landscapes. Wolves, hyenas and leopards continue to roam these non-protected areas, making Pune a unique setting for such a grassroots' conservation model.