Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary

About Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary: 

• Location: It is located in the Jorhat district of Assam, India.
• 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 (330 and 390 ft), the topography gently slopes downward from southeast to northwest.
• River: 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.
  • Also found at the sanctuary are Indian elephants, tigers, leopards, jungle cats, wild boar, three types of civet, four types of squirrels, stump-tailed macaque, northern pig-tailed macaque, etc. 

Key facts about National Board for Wildlife

• It is constituted by the Central Government under Section 5 A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (WLPA). 
• The WLPA mandates that without the approval/recommendation of the NBWL, construction of tourist lodges, alteration of the boundaries of PAs, destruction or diversion of wildlife habitat and de-notification of Tiger Reserves, cannot be done.
• It is a 47-member committee, headed by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (environment minister) as vice chairperson.

Q1: What is the Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary famous for?

It has a very rich biodiversity and is home to the only apes in India, the western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock), as well as the only nocturnal primate found in the northeast Indian states, the Bengal slow loris (Nycticebus bengalensis).

Source: TH