Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary

14 Nov 2024 10:35:16 am

Tags : Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary

Topic: Protected Areas

Why in the news?

The standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has deferred its nod for oil exploration in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in Jorhat district by the Vedanta Group.

Source: The Times of India

About Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary:

It is an isolated protected area of evergreen forest located in the Jorhat district of Assam, India.
It was given the status of a wildlife sanctuary in 1997 by the Assam Government.
It is the only sanctuary in India named after a gibbon due to its distinction for containing the densest gibbon populations in Assam.
It is situated at an altitude between 100 and 120 m.
Its topography gently slopes downward from southeast to northwest.
The Bhogdoi River creates a waterlogged region dominated by semi-hydrophytic plants along the border of the sanctuary.
Flora:
- The upper canopy of the forest is dominated by the Hollong tree, while the Nahar dominates the middle canopy. The lower canopy consists of evergreen shrubs and herbs.
Fauna:
- It contains India’s only gibbons–the hoolock gibbons, and Northeastern India’s only nocturnal primate–the Bengal slow loris.
- Indian elephants, tigers, leopards, jungle cats, wild boar, three types of civet, four types of squirrels, stump-tailed macaque, northern pig-tailed macaque, etc. are also found here.