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Space Sharing by Hoolock Gibbons (hoolock Hoolock) in Lawachara National Park, Bangladesh

Md. Kamrul Hasan
Department of Zoology, Jahangirnagar University, Savar,

Mohammed Mostafa Feeroz
Department of Zoology, Jahangirnagar University, Savar,

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Lawachara National Park is the single continuous habitat for the largest hoolock population north-east Bangladesh, which supports 40 individuals in 12 groups. A study was conducted between September 2008 and August 2009 on group identification and home-range overlap of these groups in Lawachara. Group size and composition of all groups were recorded with GPS coordination and each group was followed from dawn to dusk with recording of GPS Tracking path. Home ranges of all identified groups were enumerated from GPS Tracking path with GIS-based data plotting on Google map. Hoolock gibbons in this National Park used only 58.3 % area as their home range. Home range of these groups varied from 19.9 to 89.8 ha with the mean home range of 60.7 ha. Ten hoolock groups (83.3 %) were overlapping about 39.1 % of their home range with each other. Most of the groups ranged in the natural forest patches of the National Park in the south.

Keywords: Home range, Hoolock gibbon, Lawachara, Space sharing

Location: Lawachara National Park, Bangladesh

Start Date: 00-09-2008

End Date: 00-08-2009

Program Area: Conservation and Biodiversity

Commodity: Plant

Objectives:

By using GPS coordinates and tracking paths, the focus in this study was on the pattern of space sharing by hoolock groups of Lawachara National Park of the West Bhanugach Forest Reserve.

Methodology:

The study was conducted between September 2008 and August 2009 at Lawachara National Park. The whole area of the National Park was divided into eight compartments, based on accessibility, roads, infrastructure, trails etc. Survey was conducted on foot from dawn to dusk in each of the compartments to locate the presence of groups of hoolock gibbon within the compartments. Walking was conducted at a speed of 1 km per hour or less within the forest patch, with stops of a few minutes to look around for signs of hoolock gibbon presence. This included hearing calls, scanning the tree line with binoculars for hoolock gibbons in the canopy, and looking for important fruiting trees (such as species of Artocarpus, Ficus etc.). When loud territorial calls were heard, there was an attempt to assess the direction of the call and then to locate the group. Once located, group size and composition was recorded with GPS coordination and each group was followed from dawn to dusk with recording of GPS Tracking path. Group composition was recorded as infant, juvenile, sub– adult male, sub–adult female, adult male, and adult female. Home ranges of all identified groups were enumerated from GPS Tracking path with GISbased data plotting on Google map. Home ranges of all groups were cross-referenced with the previous three studies (Feeroz 1991; Feeroz 1999; Hasan 2003).

Source of Information: Proceedings of the International Conference on Biodiversity – Present State, Problems and Prospects of its Conservation January 8-10, 2011 University of Chittgaong, Chittagong 4331, Bangladesh

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Home range of hoolock gibbon depends on the distribution and availability of food sources throughout the year (Feeroz & Islam 1992 ). In Lawachara, about 79.6 % diet of hoolock gibbons come from fruit (Ahsan 1994) and mostly (42 %) from figs (Feeroz 1991; Hasan et al. 2005). Distributions of fruit trees, as well as fig trees, are important for the home range of any gibbon groups. Mean home range of hoolock gibbons in Lawachara was 35 ha (Feeroz & Islam 1992 ), while Ahsan (1994) mentioned it to be about 36 ha, but during this study mean home range was estimated as 60.69 ha. During the last few years habitats of hoolock gibbons in Lawachara National Park have been destroying at an alarming rate due to illegal logging, excessive tourist pressure, and other anthropogenic effects. Number of fruit trees, as well as canopy cover is also reduced in natural forest patches. In this situation gibbon groups need to explore more widely for their food and shelter. This is the probable reason for the expansion of their home range.

Knowledge Management: Report/Proceedings