Hoolock Gibbon PHVA 2005
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Report of the project “Conservation Plan for Western Hoolock Gibbon” Sponsored by Great Ape Conservation Fund US Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, Washington DC Organised and conducted by Zoo Outreach Organisation / Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh OP Report of the project titled "Conservation Plan for Western Hoolock Gibbon" 2 OP Report of the project titled "Conservation Plan for Western Hoolock Gibbon" 3 Report of project entitled “Conservation Plan for Western Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock hoolock)” Sponsored by the Great Ape Conservation Fund US Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, Washington DC Organised and conducted by the Zoo Outreach Organisation and Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh 1. Activities vis a vis objectives: To initiate a network for Western Hoolock Gibbon WHG stakeholders: foresters, wildlife officials, policy makers, field biologists, local people, zoo managers, etc. via post and electronic media, so that a sense of community for the purpose of communication, cooperation and coordination is generated for the long term, Zoo Outreach Organisation initiated a network for Hoolock Gibbon stakeholders through mail, workshops, direct and indirectly through contacts by collecting names, addresses, emails, with an objective to enhance communication between Hoolock Gibbon stakeholders throughout Bangladesh, India and wherever the students of WHG live. Networking is a primary tool for any conservation initiative that has been proved to be successful. It is one of the main components of a ‘Conservation Action Model’ developed by the PI. (Annexure 1: Conservation Action Model). The project identified 92 WHG specialists who wanted to belong to the network. This network helped in achieving goals of the project, including the coordination and collection of a large amount of WHG species information including published and unpublished raw data. A briefing material was prepared for the workshop and made available for the participants’ ready reference. The network helped the project to identify Gibbon specialists who in WHG range areas. Over the long term the WHG network provides a foundation and framework for conservation of WHG. As part of this project an e- directory of Hoolock specialist has been developed and is available on the Zoo Outreach Organisation website: (http://www.zooreach.org/Networks/Primate/Hoolock_directory_2006.pdf). To create an education programme with materials for all levels which will be compatible with the other objectives and with the time frame of this project, ZOO has developed many educational material for a broad range of target groups, making use of scientific facts generated in the workshops which involve indigenous scientists. The major products are: PHVA Report -- a 132 page scientific Report which is a useful reference for foresters, policy makers, governmental agencies, researchers, and other academics for planning WHG conservation action. PHVA Summary Report: A 24 page document for policy makers, government officials, foresters, lobbyists and conservationists. Education materials for young people: Educational packet consisting of WHG masks (for participating in skits, dramas, photo sessions, play), wrist bracelets with a cultural Report of the project titled "Conservation Plan for Western Hoolock Gibbon" 4 significance, a booklet for kids about WHG and other small items which kids enjoy. Some of these are a small placard, stickers, bookmarks, and a beautiful colour poster of the male and female WHG. Materials for teachers: -- a drama kit for teachers and other educators who want to organise events for promoting WHG conservation. The drama kit consists of Guidelines for planning and conducting dramas, over twenty masks of different characters that might appear in a drama of WHG, such as the male and female Hoolock, a baby Hoolock, forest animals of all kinds, some typical figures or personalities, such as a housewife, a poacher, a businessman, a child, etc. There is a book about how to organise and conduct dramas for education with a sampling of stories which would be suitable for dramas and various themes. The Hoolock PHVA report and even this Summary would provide fodder for dramas. We encourage educators of all kinds -- teachers, NGOs, conservation activists, etc. to order our materials and conduct education programmes about WHG. These initiatives will help to conduct workshops about Hoolock Gibbons in this region, using active learning techniques. We will distribute all of these to many educators and would be educators (foresters, NGO’s, academics, etc.) during Wildlife Week (October 2006 and Animal Welfare Fortnightly January 2007 as well as otherwise if requested. We have a set of rules for the educators to obtain materials on how to use it. Also the main rule is that the educators are supposed to send a report of the utilization of the materials. Till now we have received two brief educational reports from the Bangladesh educators. Since we are distributing educational materials, for Wildlife Week and Animal Welfare Fortnight, we can expect the reports during the period from December 2007 to February 2007, when the programmes are over. The reports will be published in our monthly magazine Zoos’ Print and also in our web site <www.zoosprint.org>. Until now 3000 Hoolock packets, posters and drama kits in Bangla language and 750 packets in English has been sent to Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh for the conduct of various education programs. The English packets, posters and drama kits will be distributed in India during Wildlife Week in October 2006 and Animal Welfare Fortnight in January 2007 (See Annexure 8a & 8b for Educational materials provided and the reports received till now). To conduct a Population and Habitat Viability Assessment (P.H.V.A.) workshop, the purpose of which is to: To obtain the “big picture” concerning Hoolock Gibbon by collecting all pertinent information to be gathered from literature and stakeholders. This information is Discussed in the workshop working groups and after reaching consensus, it is used in the computer simulation model and in building plans for tackling the issues and problems of WHG conservation in India and Bangladesh. Effective conservation action is best built upon a synthesis of available biological information. With this objective and also to understand the implications of small population dynamics on the survival of Hoolock Gibbon a Population Habitat and Viability Assessment (PHVA) workshop was organized in Dhaka, Bangladesh by Zoo Outreach Organisation and Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh, 14-18 February, 2005. Prior to the workshop all available literature related to Hoolock gibbon was collected and made available for the workshop and WHG experts were sought out for inviting as participants. The PHVA process was designed Report of the project titled "Conservation Plan for Western Hoolock Gibbon" 5 by Dr. U. S. Seal and Dr. T. J. Foose of the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group. The workshop was facilitated by Dr. Phil Miller, one of CBSG’s most experienced modelers. Five working groups were formed which discussed biology, distribution, threats, status and other stakeholder related issues over a five-day period. On the basis of deliberations of the Working Groups (these were Computer Simulation Modelling, Wild Population Management, Habitat and Distribution, Political and Public Awareness and Captive Management groups) a report was created. (Annexure 2: Hoolock Gibbon PHVA Workshop recommendation). The Report includes up-to-date information on current habitat or localities, habitat decline, present in situ populations of WHG. It has been used to address all stakeholders including policy makers, politicians and the public to support recommendations for actions leading to long term survival of Western Hoolock Gibbon. It was also used to develop the extensive education programme described above. With these recommendations and materials participants and other educators have tools to carry out public awareness recommendations and drive home a message of need for governmental intervention on behalf of this WHG. To determine rational management units within the countries and states Hoolock Gibbon localities are in areas of high biodiversity in Northeastern India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura) and remaining forest areas of Bangladesh. Participants were invited from the forest and wildlife departments of both countries, local NGOs, field biologists of Bangladesh and India, who have had direct experience with Hoolock Gibbons. To understand the problems at the country level two different working groups were formed aiming at discussion at the country level. Both the working groups worked on the issues that concern the habitat status, habitat requirement and the longer-term management of the Western Hoolock Gibbon. The Bangladesh group identified two categories of problems - habitat related and population related and based on which the recommended plan of action. (Annexure 3: Prioritization of goals and action plans recommended by Habitat and Distribution Working Group for Bangladesh) The Indian group updated the current distribution status of WHG in Indian region and also suggested recommendations concerned with habitat status and requirements. (Annexure 4: Prioritization of goals and action plans recommended by Habitat and Distribution Working Group for India). This country-specific management strategy is necessary for