Research synthesis: fishing cat conservation status

This synthesis reviews the conservation standing of the fishing cat, widely regarded as threatened owing to its dependence on fast-disappearing wetlands. It weighs the dominant pressure of wetland loss and degradation against secondary threats including persecution over fish and poultry, snaring, road mortality, and pollution, and notes the species fragmented, declining distribution. The review highlights better data from parts of India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka and significant gaps across Southeast Asia. It frames priorities as protecting and restoring wetlands inside and outside reserves, reducing retaliatory killing through community engagement, maintaining wetland connectivity, and improving monitoring. The fishing cat is presented as a flagship for Asian wetland conservation, its fate bound to the protection of these undervalued ecosystems.