Guwahati: Students from Rongdoi High School, Jorhat, took part in an immersive nature trail at the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in Jorhat district, gaining first-hand exposure to Assam’s rich forest biodiversity and the threatened hoolock gibbon, India’s only ape species. The participants were thrilled to spot a family of five hoolock gibbons along with capped langurs, a Malayan giant squirrel, and a colourful variety of butterflies and spiders flourishing in the forest ecosystem. The trail was organised on January 16 as part of “Nature’s Wonderland – A Journey of Curiosity”, a flagship environmental education initiative of biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak.
The programme was jointly conducted by Aaranyak’s Environment Education and Capacity Building Division (EECBD) and Primate Research and Conservation Division (PRCD), in collaboration with the Jorhat Wildlife Division of the Assam Forest Department. Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, a vital remnant of Assam’s lowland rainforest, is home to seven primate species and plays a key role in regional biodiversity conservation. The nature trail was guided by Dhruba Chetia of the Mariani Range and Akshay Kumar Upadhyaya, Research Fellow at Aaranyak, who explained the food habits, social structure and monogamous family life of hoolock gibbons, while highlighting the importance of protected areas.
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Forest staff also introduced students to signs of wildlife movement, native tree species and their ecological significance. An interactive session by Tikendrajit Gogoi of Aaranyak highlighted the role of smaller organisms such as insects, lichens and butterflies in indicating forest health. The programme was supported by Wipro Earthian, YouthNet and Mobius Foundation, and coordinated by Ashatora Sarma with assistance from Disha Haloi.
