Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary
Encyclopedia
The Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, formerly known as the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary or Hollongapar Reserve Forest, is an isolated protected area
of evergreen forest
located in Assam
, India
. The sanctuary was officially constituted and renamed in 1997. Set aside initially in 1881, its forests used to extend to the foothills of the Patkai
mountain range. Since then, the forest has been fragmented and surrounded by tea garden
s and small villages. In the early 1900s, artificial regeneration
was used to a develop well-stocked forest, resulting in the site's rich biodiversity
. The Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary contains India's only gibbons – the hoolock gibbon
s, and Northeastern India's only nocturnal primate – the Bengal Slow Loris
. The upper canopy of the forest is dominated by the Hollong tree (Dipterocarpus macrocarpus
), while the Nahar (Mesua ferrea
) dominates the middle canopy. The lower canopy consists of evergreen shrubs and herbs. The habitat is threatened by illegal logging
, encroachment of human settlements, and habitat fragmentation
.
in Assam
, India. Set aside as a "Reserve Forest
" (RF) on 27 August 1881, it was named after its dominant tree species, Hollong or Dipterocarpus macrocarpus
. At the time, it was considered an "integral part" of the foothill forests of the Patkai
mountain range. Although the sanctuary is currently completely surrounded by tea gardens and a few small villages, it used to connect to a large forest tract that ran to the state of Nagaland
. The protected area
started with 206 ha (0.795370446700622 sq mi) and then shrank in 1896 as sections were de-reserved. As tea garden
s began to emerge between 1880 and 1920, and villages were established during the 1960s to rehabilitate people from Majuli and adjoining areas who had lost their lands to floods, the forest became fragmented
and the reserve became isolated from the foothills.
Historically, sporadic evergreen trees covered the area along with Bojal bamboos (Pseudodactylum sp.). In 1924, artificial regeneration
was introduced in an attempt to develop well-stocked, even-aged forest. These plantations along with the natural vegetation subsequently created a forest stocked with a rich variety of flora
and fauna
(biodiversity
). During the 1900s, forest areas were added to the reserve, eventually totaling 2098.62 ha (8.1 sq mi) by 1997. However, the sanctuary remains fragmented into five distinct segments.
On 30 July 1997, in notification no. FRS 37/97/31, the sanctuary was constituted under the civil district of Jorhat and named it the "Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary" after the only ape
s found in India: the hoolock gibbon
s (genus Hoolock). It is the only sanctuary in India
named after a gibbon due to its distinction for containing the densest gibbon populations in Assam. On 25 May 2004, the Assam Government renamed it as the "Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary" through notification no. FRP 37/97/20.
s (Elephas maximus indicus) and other animals. Three extensive tea gardens that belong to the estates of Dissoi, Kothalguri, and Hoolonguri span the distance between the Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary and the nearest forests in Nagaland, the Dissoi Valley Reserve Forest. The tea gardens include Katonibari, Murmurai, Chenijan, Koliapani, Meleng, Kakojan, Dihavelleoguri, Dihingapar, Kothalguri, Dissoi and Hoolonguri. Neighboring villages include Madhupur, Lakhipur, Rampur, Fesual A (the western part), Fesual B (the eastern part), Katonibari, Pukhurai, Velleoguri, Afolamukh, and Kaliagaon.
along the border of the sanctuary, helping to create three distinct habitat zones or micro-ecosystems in the park: the up-slope zone, the down-slope zone, and the flood-prone zone.
(Hoolock hoolock), as well as the only nocturnal primate found in the northeast Indian states, the Bengal Slow Loris
(Nycticebus bengalensis). Other primates include the Stump-tailed Macaque
(Macaca arctoides), Northern Pig-tailed Macaque
(Macaca leonina), Eastern Assamese Macaque
(Macaca assamensis assamensis), Rhesus Macaque
(Macaca mulatta), and Capped Langur
(Trachypithecus pileatus). Also found at the sanctuary are Indian elephants, tiger
s (Panthera tigris), leopard
s (Panthera pardus), jungle cat
s (Felis chaus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), three types of civet
, four types of squirrel
, and several other types of mammal. At least 219 species of bird and several types of snake are known to live in the park.
in character and is composed of several canopy layers.
The upper canopy consists mostly of Dipterocarpus macrocarpus rising 12 to 30 m (39.4 to 98.4 ft) and having straight trunks
. Other species found in the top canopy include Sam (Artocarps chaplasha), Amari (Amoora wallichi), Sopas (Mcheliai spp.), Bhelu (Tetramels mudiflora), Udal (Sterculia villosa) and Hingori (Castanopsis spp.
).
Nahar (Mesua ferrea
) dominates the middle canopy with its spreading crown
, casting fairly heavy shade over a wide area. Other species that make up the middle canopy include Bandordima (Dysoxylum procerum), Dhuna (Conarium resiniferum), Bhomora (Terminalia belerica), Ful Gomari (Gmelina sp.
) Bonbogri (Pterospermum lanceafolium), Morhal (Vatica lanceafolia), Selleng (Sapium baccatum), Sassi (Aqualari agolacha), and Otenga (Dillenia indica
).
A variety of evergreen shrubs and herbs make up the lower canopy and ground layers. The most common of these are Dolu bamboo (Teinosstachyum dullooa), Bojal bamboo (Pseudostachyam polymorphum), Jengu (Calamus erectus), Jati bet (Calamus spp.), Houka bet (Calamus spp.), Tora (Alpinia allughas), Kaupat (Phrynium imbricatum), and Sorat (Laported cremulata).
s and pesticide
s from the tea gardens wash through the sanctuary.
The tea gardens are also used by elephants as a migration route to Nagaland, making them vulnerable to frequent poaching. Railway lines further divide the park, stranding a single group of gibbons in the smaller fragment. Illegal logging
and the encroachment by local people employed by the tea gardens degraded the habitat quality.
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
of evergreen forest
Evergreen forest
An temperate evergreen forest is a forest consisting entirely or mainly of evergreen trees that retain green foliage all year round. Such forests exist in the tropics primarily as broadleaf evergreens, and in temperate and boreal latitudes primarily as coniferous evergreens.-Tropical evergreen...
located in Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The sanctuary was officially constituted and renamed in 1997. Set aside initially in 1881, its forests used to extend to the foothills of the Patkai
Patkai
The Pat-kai meaning to Cut Chicken in Tai Ahom language are the hills on India's North Eastern border with Burma. They were created by the same tectonic processes that resulted in the formation of the Himalayain the Mesozoic . They are not as rugged as the Himalayas and its peaks are much lower...
mountain range. Since then, the forest has been fragmented and surrounded by tea garden
Tea garden
Tea garden may refer to:* Roji, gardens surrounding Japanese tea houses and which form part of the architecture associated with Japanese tea ceremony* Tea plantations, where tea bushes are cultivated...
s and small villages. In the early 1900s, artificial regeneration
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
was used to a develop well-stocked forest, resulting in the site's rich biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
. The Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary contains India's only gibbons – the hoolock gibbon
Hoolock gibbon
The hoolock gibbons , also known as hoolocks, are two primate species from the family of the gibbons .Hoolocks are the second largest of the gibbons, after the Siamang. They reach a size of 60 to 90 cm and weigh 6 to 9 kg...
s, and Northeastern India's only nocturnal primate – the Bengal Slow Loris
Bengal Slow Loris
The Bengal slow loris or northern slow loris is a strepsirrhine primate and a species of slow loris native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina. Its geographic range is larger than that of any other slow loris species...
. The upper canopy of the forest is dominated by the Hollong tree (Dipterocarpus macrocarpus
Dipterocarpus macrocarpus
Dipterocarpus macrocarpus is a common medium hardwood tree in South-East Asia and India. It is the state tree of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, India. In Assam it is locally known as Hollong tree.-References:**...
), while the Nahar (Mesua ferrea
Mesua ferrea
Mesua ferrea is a species in the family Calophyllaceae. The plant is named after the heaviness of its timber and cultivated in tropical climates for its form, foliage, and fragrant flowers...
) dominates the middle canopy. The lower canopy consists of evergreen shrubs and herbs. The habitat is threatened by illegal logging
Illegal logging
Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission or from a protected area; the cutting of protected species; or the...
, encroachment of human settlements, and habitat fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation as the name implies, describes the emergence of discontinuities in an organism's preferred environment , causing population fragmentation...
.
History
The Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary derives from a patch of forest once part of the Hollongapar Reserve Forest in the civil district of JorhatJorhat
Jorhat is a city of Assam in India. Jorhat was established as a new capital in the closing years of the 18th century by the declining Tunkhungia Ahom Dynasty. Jorhat, as the name signifies, was just a couple of markets . Two parallel markets namely, Chowkihat and Macharhat, lay on the eastern...
in Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, India. Set aside as a "Reserve Forest
Reserved forests and protected forests of India
A reserved forest or a protected forest in India are terms denoting forests accorded a certain degree of protection. The terms were first introduced in the Indian Forest Act, 1927 in British India, to refer to certain forests granted protection under the British crown in British India, but not...
" (RF) on 27 August 1881, it was named after its dominant tree species, Hollong or Dipterocarpus macrocarpus
Dipterocarpus macrocarpus
Dipterocarpus macrocarpus is a common medium hardwood tree in South-East Asia and India. It is the state tree of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, India. In Assam it is locally known as Hollong tree.-References:**...
. At the time, it was considered an "integral part" of the foothill forests of the Patkai
Patkai
The Pat-kai meaning to Cut Chicken in Tai Ahom language are the hills on India's North Eastern border with Burma. They were created by the same tectonic processes that resulted in the formation of the Himalayain the Mesozoic . They are not as rugged as the Himalayas and its peaks are much lower...
mountain range. Although the sanctuary is currently completely surrounded by tea gardens and a few small villages, it used to connect to a large forest tract that ran to the state of Nagaland
Nagaland
Nagaland is a state in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the largest city is Dimapur...
. The protected area
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
started with 206 ha (0.795370446700622 sq mi) and then shrank in 1896 as sections were de-reserved. As tea garden
Tea garden
Tea garden may refer to:* Roji, gardens surrounding Japanese tea houses and which form part of the architecture associated with Japanese tea ceremony* Tea plantations, where tea bushes are cultivated...
s began to emerge between 1880 and 1920, and villages were established during the 1960s to rehabilitate people from Majuli and adjoining areas who had lost their lands to floods, the forest became fragmented
Habitat fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation as the name implies, describes the emergence of discontinuities in an organism's preferred environment , causing population fragmentation...
and the reserve became isolated from the foothills.
Historically, sporadic evergreen trees covered the area along with Bojal bamboos (Pseudodactylum sp.). In 1924, artificial regeneration
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
was introduced in an attempt to develop well-stocked, even-aged forest. These plantations along with the natural vegetation subsequently created a forest stocked with a rich variety of flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
(biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
). During the 1900s, forest areas were added to the reserve, eventually totaling 2098.62 ha (8.1 sq mi) by 1997. However, the sanctuary remains fragmented into five distinct segments.
On 30 July 1997, in notification no. FRS 37/97/31, the sanctuary was constituted under the civil district of Jorhat and named it the "Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary" after the only ape
Ape
Apes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
s found in India: the hoolock gibbon
Hoolock gibbon
The hoolock gibbons , also known as hoolocks, are two primate species from the family of the gibbons .Hoolocks are the second largest of the gibbons, after the Siamang. They reach a size of 60 to 90 cm and weigh 6 to 9 kg...
s (genus Hoolock). It is the only sanctuary in India
Wildlife sanctuaries of India
India has over 441 animal sanctuaries, referred to as Wildlife Sanctuaries . Among these, the 28 Tiger Reserves are governed by Project Tiger, and are of special significance in the conservation of the tiger. Some wildlife sanctuaries are specifically named Bird Sanctuary, eg. Keoladeo National...
named after a gibbon due to its distinction for containing the densest gibbon populations in Assam. On 25 May 2004, the Assam Government renamed it as the "Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary" through notification no. FRP 37/97/20.
Surrounding region
The sanctuary officially extends to the Dissoi Valley Reserve Forest, Dissoi Reserve Forest, and Tiru Hill Reserve Forest, which are used as dispersal areas for Indian elephantIndian Elephant
The Indian Elephant is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant, and native to mainland Asia. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 60–75 years...
s (Elephas maximus indicus) and other animals. Three extensive tea gardens that belong to the estates of Dissoi, Kothalguri, and Hoolonguri span the distance between the Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary and the nearest forests in Nagaland, the Dissoi Valley Reserve Forest. The tea gardens include Katonibari, Murmurai, Chenijan, Koliapani, Meleng, Kakojan, Dihavelleoguri, Dihingapar, Kothalguri, Dissoi and Hoolonguri. Neighboring villages include Madhupur, Lakhipur, Rampur, Fesual A (the western part), Fesual B (the eastern part), Katonibari, Pukhurai, Velleoguri, Afolamukh, and Kaliagaon.
Biota and habitat
The Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary is classified as "Assam plains alluvial semi-evergreen forests" with some wet evergreen forest patches. It receives 249 cm (98 in) of rainfall on average per year. Situated at an altitude between 100 and 120 m (328.1 and 393.7 ft), the topography gently slopes downward from southeast to northwest. The Bhogdoi River creates a waterlogged region dominated by semi-hydrophytic plantsAquatic plant
Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments. They are also referred to as hydrophytes or aquatic macrophytes. These plants require special adaptations for living submerged in water, or at the water's surface. Aquatic plants can only grow in water or in soil that is...
along the border of the sanctuary, helping to create three distinct habitat zones or micro-ecosystems in the park: the up-slope zone, the down-slope zone, and the flood-prone zone.
Fauna
The sanctuary has a rich biodiversity and is home to the only apes in India, the Western Hoolock GibbonWestern Hoolock Gibbon
The western hoolock gibbon is a primate from the Hylobatidae family. The species is found in Assam, Bangladesh and in Myanmar west of the Chindwin River.-Classification:...
(Hoolock hoolock), as well as the only nocturnal primate found in the northeast Indian states, the Bengal Slow Loris
Bengal Slow Loris
The Bengal slow loris or northern slow loris is a strepsirrhine primate and a species of slow loris native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina. Its geographic range is larger than that of any other slow loris species...
(Nycticebus bengalensis). Other primates include the Stump-tailed Macaque
Stump-tailed Macaque
The stump-tailed macaque , also called the bear macaque, is a species of macaque found in Southern Asia. In India, it is found in south of the Brahmaputra river, in northeastern part of the country.Its range in India extends from Assam and Meghalaya to eastern Aruanchal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur,...
(Macaca arctoides), Northern Pig-tailed Macaque
Northern Pig-tailed Macaque
The northern pig-tailed macaque is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Traditionally, it has been considered a subspecies of M. nemestrina...
(Macaca leonina), Eastern Assamese Macaque
Assam Macaque
The Assam macaque is a macaque of the Old World monkey family native to South and Southeast Asia. Since 2008, the species is listed as Near Threatened by IUCN, as it is experiencing significant declines due to hunting, habitat degradation and fragmentation.- Characteristics :The Assam macaque has...
(Macaca assamensis assamensis), Rhesus Macaque
Rhesus Macaque
The Rhesus macaque , also called the Rhesus monkey, is one of the best-known species of Old World monkeys. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and its tolerance of a broad range of habitats...
(Macaca mulatta), and Capped Langur
Capped Langur
The capped langur is a species of primate in the Cercopithecidae family. It is found in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China, India, and Myanmar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests...
(Trachypithecus pileatus). Also found at the sanctuary are Indian elephants, tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
s (Panthera tigris), leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
s (Panthera pardus), jungle cat
Jungle Cat
The jungle cat is a medium-sized cat and considered the largest remaining species of the wild cat genus Felis. The species is also called the swamp lynx but is not closely related to the lynxes....
s (Felis chaus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), three types of civet
Civet
The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....
, four types of squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
, and several other types of mammal. At least 219 species of bird and several types of snake are known to live in the park.
Flora
Most of the vegetation within Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary is evergreenEvergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
in character and is composed of several canopy layers.
The upper canopy consists mostly of Dipterocarpus macrocarpus rising 12 to 30 m (39.4 to 98.4 ft) and having straight trunks
Trunk (botany)
In botany, trunk refers to the main wooden axis of a tree that supports the branches and is supported by and directly attached to the roots. The trunk is covered by the bark, which is an important diagnostic feature in tree identification, and which often differs markedly from the bottom of the...
. Other species found in the top canopy include Sam (Artocarps chaplasha), Amari (Amoora wallichi), Sopas (Mcheliai spp.), Bhelu (Tetramels mudiflora), Udal (Sterculia villosa) and Hingori (Castanopsis spp.
Castanopsis
Castanopsis is a genus of evergreen trees belonging to the beech family, Fagaceae. The genus contains about 120 species, which are today restricted to tropical and subtropical eastern Asia. A total of 58 species are native to China, with 30 endemic; the other species occur further south, through...
).
Nahar (Mesua ferrea
Mesua ferrea
Mesua ferrea is a species in the family Calophyllaceae. The plant is named after the heaviness of its timber and cultivated in tropical climates for its form, foliage, and fragrant flowers...
) dominates the middle canopy with its spreading crown
Crown (botany)
The crown of a plant refers to the totality of the plant's aboveground parts, including stems, leaves, and reproductive structures. A plant canopy consists of one or more plant crowns growing in a given area....
, casting fairly heavy shade over a wide area. Other species that make up the middle canopy include Bandordima (Dysoxylum procerum), Dhuna (Conarium resiniferum), Bhomora (Terminalia belerica), Ful Gomari (Gmelina sp.
Gmelina
Gmelina is a genus of plant in family Lamiaceae. It was named in honour of botanist Johann Georg Gmelin.Species include:* Gmelina arborea* Gmelina asiatica* Gmelina fasciculiflora - Northern White Beech, Australia...
) Bonbogri (Pterospermum lanceafolium), Morhal (Vatica lanceafolia), Selleng (Sapium baccatum), Sassi (Aqualari agolacha), and Otenga (Dillenia indica
Dillenia indica
Dillenia indica is a species of Dillenia native to southeastern Asia, from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka east to southwestern China and Vietnam, and south through Thailand to Malaysia and Indonesia....
).
A variety of evergreen shrubs and herbs make up the lower canopy and ground layers. The most common of these are Dolu bamboo (Teinosstachyum dullooa), Bojal bamboo (Pseudostachyam polymorphum), Jengu (Calamus erectus), Jati bet (Calamus spp.), Houka bet (Calamus spp.), Tora (Alpinia allughas), Kaupat (Phrynium imbricatum), and Sorat (Laported cremulata).
Conservation
The isolation of the park by numerous tea gardens creates a geographic barrier for migrating animals. The growing populations of tea garden workers also threatens the habitat since many people rely on the forest for firewood, traditional medicine and food. Large quantities of leaves and grass are collected from the forests to feed cattle. During the rainy season, herbicideHerbicide
Herbicides, also commonly known as weedkillers, are pesticides used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant...
s and pesticide
Pesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
s from the tea gardens wash through the sanctuary.
The tea gardens are also used by elephants as a migration route to Nagaland, making them vulnerable to frequent poaching. Railway lines further divide the park, stranding a single group of gibbons in the smaller fragment. Illegal logging
Illegal logging
Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission or from a protected area; the cutting of protected species; or the...
and the encroachment by local people employed by the tea gardens degraded the habitat quality.