Aaranyak, with a mission of carrying out research, training and conservation activities in Northeast India carried out a day-long awareness programme at Mariani College in Jorhat district of Assam on the occasion of International Gibbon Day, on October 24,2024.
The event was organised in collaboration with Department of Zoology, IQAC, Mariani College, Assam Forest Department specially Jorhat Forest Division with support from The Habitats Trust, IUCN SSC Primate Specialists Group, IUCN Section of small Ape.
The Western Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock), is found only in the seven north-eastern states of India that are situated on the southern bank of the Dibang–Brahmaputra riversystem. Regrettably, hunting, encroachment, and habitat fragmentation pose the biggest threats to gibbons in India.
Added to this situation is the lack of information about the Hoolock gibbon amongst different sections of the people including the student community. Students and teachers who work in the education field are unaware about the various facets of Hoolock gibbon conservation strategy. Keeping this fact in view and to generate conservation tempo in the state of Assam, Aaranyak is carrying out a series of programmes on Hoolock gibbon conservation.
The programme was chaired and inaugurated by Dr Horen Gowala, Principal of Mariani College. Dr Dilip Chetry, senior primatologist and head, Primate Research and Conservation Division of Aaranyak (www.aaranyak.org) was the keynote speaker of the programme.
Dr Chetry who is also vice chair of IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group, South Asia delivered a talk on the title “The State of Western Hoolock gibbon Conservation in Assam”. In the key note address, Dr. Dilip Chetry emphasised on the celebration of International Gibbon Day that started in 2015 with the following objectives to raise awareness of gibbons and how humans can help to protect them, to showcase the work being done by organisations, individuals and communities to protect gibbons, to promote local cultures and how this is linked to gibbon conservation. Dr Chetry also mentioned the role and responsibility of the college teacher and student of the Gibbon habitats areas.
Dr Chetry shared about different conservation activities carried out by Aaranyak in 2024 for the Hoolock gibbon conservation in Assam such as educational awareness where around 5000 students were benefitted, training programme reached to 120 frontline staff of Assam Forest Department as well as different research activities in Assam.
Speaker Rupam Bhuyan, Forest Range officer (in-charge), Mariani Forest Range, H. Gibbon Sanctuary highlighted some challenges of the sanctuary and request the college fraternity to come forward for the greater interest of Hoolock gibbon conservation. Another speaker Dr Bhaskar Buragohain, Department of Botany, Mariani College highlighted the importance of Orchid conservation at Gibbon Sanctuary.
The International Gibbon Day programmed was coordinated by Dr Heman Saikia, Dr Rajkumar Buragohain and anchored by Aaishara Chetia, and Monideepa Dutta Borah. Around 1000 students of the college with host of teaching faculty Dr Arupanjali Borah, Nibedita Sharma, Rajen Dutta, Ratan Singh, Khirod Chandra Deka and Somorita Kashyap also attended the programme. Burning issues related to oil exploration, electrification around the vicinity of H.Gibbon Sanctuary were also raised and discussed.
