A week-long residential training programme aimed at enhancing the capacity of frontline forest personnel for the conservation of the Western Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) concluded at the Gibbon Conservation Centre of Aaranyak in the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, Mariani, Assam.
The first batch of the programme, held from September 19 to 25, brought together 15 Forest Guards from the forest departments of Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland. It marked the first dedicated training initiative on Hoolock gibbon conservation involving frontline forest staff from all three northeastern states.
The programme sought to strengthen field-level conservation efforts by improving the knowledge and practical skills of forest personnel responsible for protecting the species and its increasingly fragmented habitat. It was organised by biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak in collaboration with the Jorhat Forest Division of the Assam Forest Department, with support from The Habitats Trust and the IUCN Primate Specialist Group.
India’s only ape, the Western Hoolock Gibbon, is found across the northeastern states south of the Brahmaputra River and east of the Dibang River. However, poaching, encroachment and habitat fragmentation continue to threaten the species, while limited field-level awareness remains a challenge to its conservation.
To address these concerns, the training combined classroom sessions with extensive field exercises. Participants received practical instruction on biodiversity conservation in Northeast India, primate conservation with a focus on Hoolock gibbons, gibbon census and population estimation, field data collection and reporting, floristic studies, habitat restoration, population and habitat monitoring, rescue and rehabilitation, GPS applications, and wildlife laws.
The trainees also conducted field observations across five different tracks over five days, gaining hands-on experience in research and conservation techniques.
The programme was inaugurated on September 19 by Dr. Dilip Chetry, Director and Head of Aaranyak’s Primate Research and Conservation Division and Vice Chair of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group South Asia. He encouraged participants to actively engage in the training and apply the knowledge gained towards biodiversity conservation, particularly the protection of Hoolock gibbons.
Training sessions and field activities were led by experts including Dr. I.C. Baruah of Assam Agricultural University, former Deputy Conservator of Forest Gunin Saikia, Dr. Prabal Sakar of USTM, and Aaranyak researchers Avisekh Sarkar, Simanta Medhi, Nandita Medhi, Dr. Khanin Changmai and Dr. Dilip Chetry.
Speaking at the concluding session on September 25, Dr. Chetry highlighted the significance of bringing frontline forest staff from three states together for a common conservation mission. He thanked the forest departments of Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland, the Assam Forest Department’s Jorhat Forest Division, and the local community for their support.
He urged the trainees to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the programme towards protecting Hoolock gibbon habitats and ensuring the long-term survival of the species.
The programme concluded with the distribution of training manuals, books on Hoolock gibbons, conservation posters, certificates of participation, and group photographs.