ACTA UNIVERSITATIS AGRICULTURAE ET SILVICULTURAE MENDELIANAE BRUNENSIS Volume 67 3 Number 1, 2019 DISTRIBUTION OF WESTERN HOOLOCK GIBBONS AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF FOOD PLANTS IN CACHAR DISTRICT OF ASSAM, INDIA: REACHING OUT TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES FOR CONSERVATION Mitrajit Deb1, Shubhadeep Roychoudhury1, Parimal C. Bhattacharjee2, Indu Sharma3, Sunil Nautiyal4, Petr Sláma5 1Department of Life Science and Bioinformatics, Assam University, Silchar 788011, India 2Wildlife Trust of India, Guwahati 781012, Assam, India 3Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar 788011, India 4Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources, Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru 560072, India 5Department of Animal Morphology, Physiology and Genetics, Mendel University in Brno, 61300 Brno, Czech Republic To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.11118/actaun201967010025 Received: 6. 10. 2018, Accepted: 10. 1. 2019 To cite this article: DEB MITRAJIT, ROYCHOUDHURY SHUBHADEEP, BHATTACHARJEE PARIMAL C., SHARMA INDU, NAUTIYAL SUNIL, SLÁMA PETR. 2019. Distribution of Western Hoolock Gibbons and Nutritional Status of Food Plants in Cachar District of Assam, India: Reaching out to Local Communities for Conservation. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 67(1): 25 – 39. Abstract Western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) is listed as an endangered mammal in IUCN Red List. It is also listed in CITES Appendix I and in the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. In the present work the status and distribution of Western hoolock gibbons in Cachar district of Assam, India was explored by conducting field studies from September 2012 to August 2013 using line transect and call count methods. Group composition, group size and adult sex ratio of nine gibbon groups and one solitary male were recorded. Groups comprised 36 % adult males, 32 % adult females, 10 % sub‑adult males, 11 % juveniles and 11 % infants and the encounter rate was 0.17. Group size ranged from 2 to 5 and mean group size was 2.8 ± 1.1. Nutritional status of food plants consumed by Western hoolock gibbons were analyzed and chemical composition was determined. Proximate analysis revealed that the mean value of crude protein (9.73 ± 0.4), crude fibre (16.1 ± 0.6), ether extract (1.07 ± 0.06), NFE (66.24 ± 0.43) and ash (7.03 ± 0.27) in plant samples. A moderate positive correlation was noted between higher protein content and higher crude fibre content in food plants (r = 0.48), which is likely to influence food selection and feeding pattern. Timber felling, fuel‑wood collection, agriculture and expansion of tea estates were identified as major threats to conservation of Western hoolock gibbons. The present study recommends taking up awareness programmes and formulation of policy interventions involving the local communities to arrive at a participatory biodiversity conservation plan at local levels particularly involving the village councils (gram panchayats). Keywords: Western hoolock gibbon, distribution, Cachar, food plant, nutrition, conservation, policy, local community 25 26 Mitrajit Deb, Shubhadeep Roychoudhury, Parimal C. Bhattacharjee, Indu Sharma, Sunil Nautiyal, Petr Sláma INTRODUCTION to lack of fruits (Kakati, 1997; Kakati et al., 2009). Acute food supply is believed to cause deficiency of One of the most primitive of living apes, nutrients which may ultimately lead to a variety of Western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) occurs immune dysfunctions and an impaired resilience. in the tropical rainforests of South and Southeast Living in degraded habitats may also lead to Asia (Romero‑Herrera et al., 1973; Alfred, 1992; increased parasitic load (Deb et al., 2014) which Gupta, 1994; Das et al., 2003). Western hoolock may affect their survival, growth and fecundity. gibbon has been recorded from seven states In the present study, nutritional status of food in the North‑eastern region (Mukherjee, 1986; plants and distribution of Western hoolock gibbons Choudhury, 2001; Kakati et al., 2009) of India. in forest patches of Cachar district were documented Western hoolock gibbons are also found in along with their group composition and encounter Myanmar and Bangladesh (Kakati et al., 2009; rate. Subsequently to locating the focal group, their Walker et al., 2009; Deb et al., 2014). feeding behaviour was studied. Collected food In recent decades, forested regions are plant samples from the study area were analyzed becoming more and more fragmented owing to to ascertain the chemical composition in order to increased population, food shortage, urbanization reveal the nutritional status of plants consumed and clearing for settlements and agriculture. by Western hoolock gibbons. Key threats in each Large‑bodied primates like Western hoolock study area were recorded as well as conservation gibbons are most affected because of forest issues were noted with the aim of devising policy thinning, loss of important food trees, hunting and interventions at the village level involving local trade for medicine (Choudhury, 1996; Molur, 2005; communities for conservation of endangered Walker and Molur, 2007). Western hoolock gibbons Western hoolock gibbons. are primarily frugivorous, arboreal, territorial and monogamous. Being important seed dispersers MATERIALS AND METHODS they are vital for forest regeneration and provide Study site ecosystem services (Choudhury, 1991; Kakati, 2004; Gupta and Sharma, 2005; Brockelman et al., 2008). With a geographical area of 78,438 square Studies on Western hoolock gibbons (Mukherjee, kilometres i.e. about 2.4 percent of India’s total 1982; Mukherjee et al., 1988) in Tripura and geographical area, the state of Assam provides Arunachal Pradesh of India showed that in shelter to 2.57 percent of the human population contiguous forests they have large home ranges of the country most of which live in the lush between 200 and 400 hectares. However, forest and verdant valleys of its two major river fragmentation over time has reduced their home systems – the Brahmaputra valley and the Barak range between 8 and 63 hectares (Tilson, 1979; valley. There are twenty seven districts in Gittins, 1984; Mukherjee, 1986; Sati and Alfred, Brahmaputra valley and three districts in Barak 1986; Alfred, 1992; Feeroz and Islam, 1992; valley – namely Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi. Choudhury, 1996; Kakati, 2004; Gupta, 2005). The hill districts separate the two valleys and are The effects of forest fragmentation has more less densely populated. According to the 2011 immediate effects on large‑bodied species such Census of India, the human population of Assam as Western hoolock gibbons as they are habitat stands at 31,169,269 of which 15,954,927 are men specialists (Kakati, 1997; Kakati et al., 2009). and 15,214,345 are women (ESI, 2012). The present Exhaustive survey conducted to assess hoolock study was conducted in Cachar district of Barak gibbon population across its geographic range Valley in Assam (Fig. 1). The district lies between in India reported that though gibbons have large 92°24ʹE and 93°15 ʹ E longitude and 24°22 ʹ N and distribution range but most of the populations are 25º8 ʹ N latitude. The landmass is heterogeneous small and isolated (Das et al., 2005; Das et al., 2009). and composed of high hills, hillocks, valleys and Studies also revealed that their population cannot lowlands. The principal river Barak is fed by its sustain in the absence of contiguous forest patches. tributaries. The forests of Cachar district can be Many forest patches contain only a single pair of classified into two broad types – Cachar tropical gibbons (Das and Bhattacherjee, 2002; Das et al., evergreen and Cachar semi evergreen (Champion 2009). and Seth, 1968). As frugivores, gibbon guts are adapted to digest According to the 2011 census, Cachar district has fruits. However, Western hoolock gibbons have a total human population of 1,736,319 with a sex been reported from fragmented and disturbed ratio of 958 women to 1000 men. The general forests consuming a high proportion of leaf due elevation of the land surface ranges from 450m Distribution of Western Hoolock Gibbons and Nutritional Status of Food Plants in Cachar District of Assan... 27 1: Broad study area to 1100m (Cachar‑District, 2017). Prominent flora inches long and while the female is light brown of Cachar tropical evergceen and semi‑evergreen with white rings around eyes and muzzle (Mootnick forests include monkey jack (Atrocarpus chaplasha), and Groves, 2005). Himalayan mango (Mangifera spp.), ping (Cynometra polyandra), beechwood (Gmelina arborea), Asian Field work clumping bamboo (Melocana baccifera). (FSI, 2015). The present study was conducted in 14 forest During the study period, field stations were patches of Cachar district. The areas were selected set up at two villages namely Irongmara and on the basis of secondary data and forest records. Amraghat for the smooth conduct of the study. The study sites included the following villages ‑ Coordinates of the encounters were determined Irongmara village woodlot, Raraipunjee village using a hand‑held Global Positioning System woodlot, Dharmikhal village woodlot, Rosekandy device eTrex 10 (Garmin, Kansan, USA). These tea estate, Silcoorie tea estate, Bhubankhal village coordinates were plotted on computer for map woodlot, Moniarkhal tea estate, Ecoforest of Assam preparation. A pedometer was used to measure University campus, Binnakandy tea estate, West distance walked on foot and final distance was Jalenga