Context: The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has approved an oil and gas exploration project in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam.
About the Oil and Gas Exploration Project
- An oil exploration company has proposed exploratory drilling in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam.
- The drilling is for exploring potential hydrocarbon reserves in the area, based on seismic mapping results.
- The company assured that no hazardous substances will be used, and drilling will be for exploratory purposes only.
- The drilling site is located 13 km from the Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, which is home to the endangered Hoolock gibbon and six other primate species found in the area.
- While the sanctuary itself covers 20.98 square kilometres, its ESZ extends over 264.92 square kilometres. The large ESZ ensures connectivity with adjacent forested areas in Assam and Nagaland.
- While granting the approval, the Standing Committee of NBWL has imposed several conditions –
- Real-time digital surveillance systems to monitor operations.Detailed operational plans must be submitted to regulatory bodies before starting work.Minimal tree felling and strict pollution control measures.
- Oil or gas extraction is strictly prohibited within the ESZ, even if reserves are found.
Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary
- Located in the Jorhat district of Assam, it is named after India’s only ape species, the Hoolock gibbon, and became a wildlife sanctuary in 1997.
- The Bhogdoi River creates a waterlogged area with semi-hydrophytic plants along the border.
- The upper forest canopy is dominated by Hollong trees, and the middle canopy has Nahar trees.
About the Hoolock Gibbon Species:
- Gibbons are the smallest and fastest apes, living in tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia.
- They are known for their intelligence, unique personalities, and strong family bonds, similar to other apes. There are 20 different species of gibbons worldwide.
- Population and Habitat: There are about 12,000 hoolock gibbons today.
- They live in forests in Northeast India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Southern China.
- Gibbon Species in India: The hoolock gibbon is the only ape species in India. India is home to two subspecies of hoolock gibbons:
- the eastern hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys) and
- the western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock), mainly in the northeastern part of the country.
- Conservation Status: According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List:
- Western hoolock gibbon is listed as Endangered.
- Eastern hoolock gibbon is listed as Vulnerable.
- Both species are protected under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
- A study by the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad found that these are not two separate species.
- Instead, they are part of the same species, with the two populations splitting about 1.48 million years ago.
- The study also shows that all gibbons shared a common ancestor about 8.38 million years ago.