GUWAHATI, Dec 9 ? What could be called their channel to survival, small canopy bridges have come to facilitate the movement of hoolock gibbons (Bunopithecus hoolock) in a part of their habitat. This recent initiative of some researchers and scholars have given isolated populations of hoolock gibbons access to new territories, which according to experts, would lead to healthy populations of the species.
The project named ?Survey and study of the behavioural response of Hoolock Gibbon in fragmented forest and its conservation perspectives,? also covered valuable ground in establishing major home range ? including new ones, and identifying their food sources.
Carried out by Dr J Das, Dr J Biswas, and Dr D Chetry, under the guidance of Dr P C Bhattacharya, the study, moreover, highlights a conservation action plan that could ensure better conservation of the species amid an increasingly populated landscape. The conservation action plan, especially, could be a key to protecting one of the endangered species endemic to the region.
Talking to The Assam Tribune, Dr P C Bhattacharya of the Department of Zoology, Gauhati University, said, ?The study is important because the species is one of those that is yet to be fully understood. One particular aspect of the study was about reducing their stress level for which we tried out the canopy bridges in and around Borajan Reserve Forest (RF) in Tinsukia district.?
The hoolock gibbon, incidentally, is the sole representative of the apes in India, and has not yet received the attention it deserves from conservation agencies and administration. A canopy dwelling ape, its population hovers between 4,000 and 5,000, and among its emergent threats is the defragmentation of forests.
The group of researchers who studied the ape witnessed how roads and settlements have fragmented the habitat of the hoolock gibbon. Responding to the ape?s need to travel from one forest to another, the team at first provided them with ropes, expecting those ropes to provide them links between adjoining forest tracts. The attempt, however, was unsuccessful.
Subsequently, the patches of fragmented forests were connected with canopy bridges made of bamboo. It was not long before the hoolock gibbons started walking and climbing across those bridges. For the first time in many years, they have now started visiting neighbouring forests. Dr Bhattacharya, referring to this movement, said, ?This is encouraging because the foray into new areas helps extend the gene pool of the species. A stagnant gene pool always poses a danger to the health of animals, especially in small populations.?
The study was also able to identify the western distribution range of the species for the first time. The Goalpara Forest Division, which according to the survey is the north-western boundary of the species, is in a condition that has been described as ?alarming.? The total population of the hoolock gibbon in Assam was found to be spread over two National Parks, and 11 Wildlife Sanctuaries.
Interestingly, behavioural findings of the species pointed to a variation between the hoolock gibbons residing in different areas. According to the study, time used in feeding and foraging depended on the quality of the habitat. For instance, the smaller the canopy cover in the habitat, the lesser the activities performed by the apes.
Recognising the need to conserve the habitat of the hoolock gibbon, the study stresses habitat restoration and manipulation programmes assisted by an awareness programme. To restore the degraded habitat, the creation of a nursery of food plants, and plantation of saplings within home range have been deemed particularly necessary.
On the issue of habitat conservation, the study further mentions ?Identification of Candidate Priority Areas,? according to which the ?highest priority in conservation action? should be accorded to Langlakso Protected R F, Mikir Hills RF, North Cachar RF, Khon Bamon RF, Khurimming RF and Innerline RF.
This effort to understand the species has also been called exemplary because of the synergies that sustained it. Besides the core team members, the field staff of the State Forest Department played a crucial role in collecting and collating the data on the hoolock gibbon, a fact acknowledged by Dr Bhattacharya. ?There were some forest personnel whose knowledge about the species was simply amazing. The facts they related could only be gathered from close quarters and with keen perception,? he stated.