Arunachal Pradesh: Plantation to rejuvenate lost Hoolock Gibbon habitat

Our Corrrespondent

Itanagar: A collaborative plantation drive was organized at Injuno in Lower Dibang Valley district recently to rejuvenate the lost Hoolock Gibbon habitats.

The Forest department, the students of Jomin Tayeng Government Model Degree College, Jemi Notko, Lower Dibang Valley, led by Associate Professor Dr Rajiv Miso and Abralow Memorial Multipurpose Society, planted banyan, jamun, litchi and bokul saplings as suggested by expert from Guwahati, Assam.

The plantation was mentored by land owner, Eketo Mendo.

The students were also taken on an environmental exposure trip in the area to understand the real problem.

It is reported that habitat fragmentation, destruction, hunting, poaching, change in the land-use pattern, jhum cultivation, conversion of forest areas to tea gardens, palm oil plantation, etc have been reported as the main causes of sharp decline in the population of the Eastern hoolock gibbons, which has recently been named as Mishmi Hills Hoolock gibbons (Mishmiensis), said AMMS in a release.

The programme was organized with collaborative efforts by the DFO (Wild Life), divisional forest office, Roing (T), Jomin Tayeng Government Model Degree College, Roing and Abralow Memorial Multipurpose Society (AMMS), and land owner Mendo.