Aaranyak concludes week-long training programme on Hoolock Gibbon conservation in Assam

A week-long residential training programme aimed at strengthening the capacity of frontline forest personnel in Western Hoolock Gibbon conservation concluded on September 25 at the Gibbon Conservation Centre of Aaranyak, located within Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Mariani, Assam’s Golaghat district.

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. The initiative marked the first time frontline forest personnel from the three northeastern states participated in a dedicated training programme focused on Hoolock gibbon conservation.

Organised by biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak in collaboration with the Jorhat Forest Division of the Assam Forest Department, the programme received support from The Habitats Trust and the IUCN Primate Specialists Group.

The training aimed to strengthen field-level knowledge and practical skills among forest personnel to support the long-term conservation of the Western Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) and its increasingly fragmented habitat. The species, recognised as India’s only ape, is found across northeastern states south of the Brahmaputra and east of the Dibang River. Poaching, encroachment and habitat fragmentation remain significant threats to its survival.

The programme combined classroom sessions with hands-on field exercises covering biodiversity conservation, primate conservation, gibbon census and population estimation, field data collection and reporting, floristic studies, habitat characteristics and restoration, and population and habitat monitoring. Participants also received training in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, GPS use and the application of wildlife laws.

As part of the practical component, the trainees conducted field observations across five tracks over five days, gaining experience in field 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 the participants to actively engage in the training and apply their learning to biodiversity conservation, particularly efforts to protect Hoolock gibbons.

Training sessions and field exercises were led by experts from Assam Agricultural University, the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM), and Aaranyak, along with a former Deputy Conservator of Forest.

At the concluding session on September 25, chaired by Dr Chetry, participants were urged to translate their learning into practical conservation action. He thanked the forest departments of Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland for deputing personnel and acknowledged the support of the Jorhat Forest Division and the local community.

The programme concluded with the distribution of training manuals, books on Hoolock gibbons, conservation posters and certificates of participation to the trainees.

The initiative is expected to strengthen coordination among frontline forest personnel across the three states and enhance field-level efforts to protect the Western Hoolock Gibbon and its natural habitat.