Life Sciences & Biotechnology
Title : | Distribution Modelling, Habitat Occupancy and Conservation Prioritization of Western Hoolock Gibbon in Assam-Gari Hills Landscape, India: An Integrated Methodological Approach Towards Conservation |
Area of research : | Life Sciences & Biotechnology |
Focus area : | Wildlife Conservation, Ecology |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Kuladip Sarma, Gauhati University, Assam |
Timeline Start Year : | 2023 |
Timeline End Year : | 2026 |
Contact info : | kldpsarma306@gmail.com |
Details
Executive Summary : | Western Hoolock Gibbons (WHG) are the only ape found in India while the species is distributed in southeast Asia in patches. In India, the species is distributed in the south east bank of Dibang Brhmaputra River system. The geographic isolations due to fragmentations of the habitat have been the key issue for the species that even aroused taxonomic disputes that was later resolved identifying two subspecies of WHG in Northeast India. The ecology of the species is very known from studies on some selected sub-populations and revelas that they are highly selective feeders that are largely dependent on small, scattered fruit patches Owing to its brachiating nature (swinging between branches of trees using forelimbs), the contiguity of the forest is an essential habitat characteristic required for the movement of WHG being the species is a known brachiator (swinging between trees using forelimbs). But it is eveident that most the known habitat of the species are getting fragmented. The Assam-Garo Hills landscape is one of such examples where gibbons are surviving in village forest fragments in a human-dominated landscape of Garo Hills, Meghalaya, India. Conservation prioritization in this landscape is therefore important so that scientific as well as community-based initiatives can be taken to safeguard the species as well as the habitat. The proposed project aims to assess the distribution and population WHG taking into account of the habitat characteristics and its functional role in the forest ecosystem using advanced tools and statistical methods. The species’ ecology has been studied in some selcected pockets within its entire distribution range in India, it certainly evokes ecological questions about the role of WHG in regional forest structuring. Most of its population, habitat and behavioural studies had been carried out in Upper Brahmaputra Valley (Assam: Dibrugarh and Tinisukia districts;), Barak Valley (Assam) and Eastern Arunachal Pradesh (Lower Dibang Valley, Lohit, Namsai and Changlang districts). Other than these locations, only preliminary population data available for the species. For the state of Meghalaya, only a few studies have been carried out that are mostly about the species movement patterns. Therefore, the newest methods such as occupancy modelling and habitat prioritization will enable us to answer some of the key questions about WHG’s ecology and habitat requirements. Moreover, finding the role of the species in the ecosystem functioning such as amount of frugivory that essentially lead to forest regeneration through seed dispersal and also contribute significantly in the process of nutrient cycling, will be given emphasis in the proposed project. Thus, this proposal is first of its kind to estimate ecosystem functioning of the species in its natural landscape and will enable us to provide quantitative information to justify the conservation need of the species in the present-day scenario. |
Total Budget (INR): | 29,04,260 |
Organizations involved