Kamlang Tiger Reserve enhances protection of Hoolock Gibbon

Guwahati: Aranyak, the region’s leading research-driven biodiversity conservation organisation, in collaboration with the authority at Kamlang Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh, organized a Hoolock Gibbon Conservation Training Workshop at the Interpretation Center of the Tiger Reserve at Wakro in Lohit district of Arunachal. State on 8 and 9 November. This initiative was supported by the Arcus Foundation. The training program focused on introducing forest staff to India’s only ape, the Hoolock Gibbon, and motivating them to conserve this endangered species. The hoolock gibbon is an endangered species of primates found in seven states of northeastern India and restricted to the southern bank of the Brahmaputra-Dibang river system. Kamlang Tiger Reserve with an area of 783 sq km is the potential habitat of this charismatic species. This training, conducted by Aranyak, is the first of its kind in Arunachal Pradesh. The workshop was inaugurated by Divisional Forest Officer cum Director, Kamlang, TR Jumdo Gei, DCF. Gayee, while appreciating Aranyak for conducting this training for the wider interest of Hoolock Gibbon conservation in the state, requested that all the participants attend the classes with commitment and learn from the experts so that they can apply in the field. Senior primatologist Dr. Dilip Chhetri, Head of Primate Research and Conservation Division of Aranyak as well as Vice-Chair of IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group, South Asia, was the resource person in this first session of the training workshop. He highlighted the current conservation status of the Hoolock gibbon, its threats and its conservation needs. Dr. Chettri also highlighted various population estimation methods for gibbon. He requested the state forest department to consider the Hoolock gibbon as a keystone species for the conservation of biodiversity in the region. Bunty Tao, Ranger Officer, Kamlang Tiger Reserve highlighted the practical difficulties and how to deal with the use of GPS in the field and requested that the forest staff use this workshop to empower themselves on the application of GPS and GIS. In the second session of the workshop, Arup Kumar Das, Senior Manager, Geospatial Technology and Applications Division, Aaranyak, highlighted the application of GPS in wildlife research. Hands-on GPS training was conducted by Aaranyak’s Avishek Sarkar, Akshay Kumar Upadhyay, Simanta Medhi and Pitam Jyoti Gore, which covered waypoint, track, proximity and related aspects. In the first session of the second day of the workshop, the participants conducted field practice of GPS and also recorded four gibbon calls from different directions with the help of experts at Mithun Gate of Kamlang TR. The GIS practical session of the training was conducted in collaboration with Avishek Sarkar, Akshay Kumar and Aditya Das, field biologist, Kamlang Tiger Reserve. There were 52 participants from Kamlang TR and Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar. A press release said the training program concluded with the distribution of study materials and posters for Hoolock Gibbon and QGIS software.