Research · Projects
Our research combines field studies, long-term monitoring, and ecological analyses to understand how fishing cats persist in urban landscapes.
The work
Our work examines movement, diet, habitat connectivity, road ecology, and urban biodiversity. Although individual studies address different questions, together they show how fishing cats and other wildlife respond to landscapes shaped by people.
Where we work
Colombo remains the core of our long-term research, where fishing cats move through a connected mosaic of wetlands and built urban habitats. As the programme has expanded, collaborative research has also extended to other urban and human-modified landscapes across Sri Lanka.
Explore the interactive study area below.
Areas of work
No single method can explain how fishing cats persist in a city. By combining long-term monitoring, movement ecology, diet analysis, road ecology, and public reporting, we can examine the urban landscape from multiple perspectives.
Long-term camera trapping documents fishing cats and other wildlife across Colombo’s wetlands and urban green spaces, allowing changes in species occurrence, activity, and behaviour to be tracked over time.
Methods
Camera traps · field records · individual identification · activity patterns
Collaborators
SLLDC · UDA
GPS tracking reveals how individual fishing cats move through wetlands, canals, neighbourhoods, and other urban habitats, helping identify the landscape features that support movement through the city.
Methods
GPS telemetry · home ranges · habitat use · movement paths
Collaborator
DWC
Diet analysis examines what fishing cats eat, how prey availability changes across urban landscapes, and how urban food webs may expose wildlife to emerging threats such as plastic pollution.
Methods
Scat analysis · prey availability · plastic ingestion · camera-trap availability
Collaborator
DWC
Road ecology examines how transport infrastructure influences wildlife movement, mortality, and habitat connectivity, generating evidence that can support safer infrastructure planning.
Methods
Roadkill records · camera traps · highway monitoring · connectivity
Collaborator
RDA
We collaborate with partner organisations on wildlife monitoring projects where our expertise can strengthen ecological understanding, improve survey design, or support conservation planning.
Methods
Camera traps · site monitoring · mammal records · partner collaboration
Collaborators
Project-specific partners
Public reporting, education, and community engagement extend the reach of our research by documenting wildlife observations, sharing new findings, and encouraging people to better understand the landscapes they live alongside.
Methods
Public reporting · talks · workshops · field experiences
Collaborators
Schools · universities · communities · partner organisations
Connected questions
Each project addresses different ecological questions, but they all contribute to understanding how fishing cats and other wildlife persist within landscapes increasingly shaped by people.
Research information
Peer-reviewed papers and other research outputs are listed in the Publications archive.
For research collaborations, student projects, data requests, or citation enquiries, please contact us with a brief description of your request.
