Rupa Banerjee Editor at 22:50, 22 February 2026

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{{Short description|Protected forest area in Assam, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary<ref name=Ghosh2007/><ref name=protectedplanet/>
| iucn_category = IV
| image = Hoolock hoolock 001.jpg
| image_caption = Western [[hoolock gibbon]] (''Hoolock hoolock'')
| image_size = 175
| map = India Assam
| map_alt = Located in Northeast India
| map_caption = Location in Assam, India
| relief = 1
| mapframe = Yes
| mapframe-zoom = 10
| location = [[Jorhat district|Jorhat]], [[Assam]], [[India]]
| nearest_city = [[Jorhat|Jorhat City]]
| coordinates = {{coords|26.716667|94.383333|region:IN|display=inline, title}}
| area = {{convert|2098.62|ha|sqmi|sigfig=2|abbr=on}}
| established = 1997
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| governing_body =
| url = 
}}

The '''Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary''', formerly known as the '''Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary''' or '''Hollongapar Reserved Forest''' ({{langx|as|হোলোঙাপাৰ গিবন অভয়াৰণ্য}}), is an isolated [[protected area]] of [[evergreen forest]] located in [[Assam]], [[India]]. The sanctuary was officially constituted and renamed in 1997. Set aside initially in 1881, its forests used to extend to the foothills of the [[Patkai]] mountain range.

Since then, the forest has been fragmented and surrounded by [[Tea garden (cultivation)|tea garden]]s and small villages. In the early 1900s, [[Plantation|artificial regeneration]] was used to a develop well-stocked forest, resulting in the site's rich [[biodiversity]]. The Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary contains India's only ape and gibbon species – the [[hoolock gibbon]]s,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Anand |first=Ashvita |date=2023-11-25 |title=In Assam, railway line expansion and electrification threaten the hoolock gibbon, India’s only ape |url=https://scroll.in/article/1059458/in-assam-railway-line-expansion-and-electrification-threaten-the-hoolock-gibbon-indias-only-ape |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=Scroll.in |language=en-US}}</ref> and Northeastern India's only nocturnal primate – the [[Bengal slow loris]].

The upper [[canopy (biology)|canopy]] of the forest is dominated by the ''hollong'' tree (''[[Dipterocarpus retusus]]''), while the ''nahar'' (''[[Mesua ferrea]]'') dominates the middle canopy. The lower canopy consists of evergreen shrubs and herbs. The habitat is threatened by [[illegal logging]], encroachment of human settlements, and [[habitat fragmentation]].

==History==
Hollongapar reserved forest as a potential wildlife sanctuary was identified in late 1980s during a primate survey. <ref>{{cite book |last1=Choudhury |first1=A. U. |year=1989 |title=Primates of Assam: their distribution, habitat and status |publisher=Gauhati University |location=Guwahati}}</ref> The Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary is located in the civil district of [[Jorhat district|Jorhat]] in [[Assam]], India. Set aside as a "[[Reserved forests and protected forests of India|Reserve Forest]]" (RF) on 27 August 1881,<ref name=Hazarika2005/> it was named after its dominant tree species, ''hollong'' or ''[[Dipterocarpus retusus]]''.<ref name=Das2009/> At the time, it was considered an "integral part" of the foothill forests of the [[Patkai]] mountain range.<ref name=Hazarika2005/>

Although the sanctuary is currently completely surrounded by tea gardens and a few small villages, it used to connect to a large forest tract that ran to the state of [[Nagaland]]. The [[protected area]] started with {{convert|206|ha|sqmi|abbr=on}} and then shrank in 1896 as sections were de-reserved.<ref name=Hazarika2005/><ref name=Das2009/> As [[Tea garden (cultivation)|tea garden]]s began to emerge between 1880 and 1920, and villages were established during the 1960s to rehabilitate people from Majuli and adjoining areas who had lost their lands to floods, the forest became [[habitat fragmentation|fragmented]] and the reserve became isolated from the foothills.<ref name=Hazarika2005/>

Historically, sporadic evergreen trees covered the area along with ''Bojal'' bamboos (''[[Pseudostachyum]]'' sp.). In 1924, [[Plantation|artificial regeneration]] was introduced in an attempt to develop well-stocked, even-aged forest. These plantations along with the natural vegetation subsequently created a forest stocked with a rich variety of [[flora]] and [[fauna]] ([[biodiversity]]). During the 1900s, forest areas were added to the reserve, eventually totaling {{convert|2098.62|ha|sqmi|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} by 1997.<ref name=Hazarika2005/><ref name=Das2009/> However, the sanctuary remains fragmented into five distinct segments.<ref name=Das2009/>

On 30 July 1997, in notification no. FRS 37/97/31, the sanctuary was constituted under the civil district of Jorhat and named it the "Gibbon Sanctuary, Meleng" after the only [[ape]]s found in India: the [[hoolock gibbon]]s (genus ''Hoolock''). It is the only [[Wildlife sanctuaries of India|sanctuary in India]] named after a primate due to its distinction for containing a dense hoolock gibbon populations.<ref name=Ghosh2007/><ref name=Hazarika2005/> On 25 May 2004, the Assam Government correctly renamed it as the "Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary" through notification no. FRP 37/97/20.<ref name=Ghosh2007/>

==Surrounding region==
The elephants' range of this small sanctuary extends to the [[Dissoi Valley Reserve Forest]], [[Dissoi Reserve Forest]], and [[Tiru Hill Reserve Forest]], which are used as dispersal areas through tea gardens (''Elephas maximus''). Three extensive tea gardens that belong to the estates of Dissoi, Kothalguri, and Hollonguri span the distance between the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary and the nearest forests in Assam-Nagaland border, the Dissoi Valley Reserve Forest.<ref name=Hazarika2005/><ref name=Das2009/>

The tea gardens include Katonibari, Murmurai, Chenijan, Koliapani, Meleng, Kakojan, Dihavelleoguri, Dihingapar, Kothalguri, Dissoi and Hoolonguri. Neighboring villages include Madhupur, Lakhipur, Rampur, Fesual A (the western part), Fesual B (the eastern part), Katonibari, Pukhurai, Velleoguri, Afolamukh, and Kaliagaon.<ref name=Hazarika2005/>

==Biota and habitat==
{{mainlist|List of species in the Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary}}

The Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary is classified as "Assam plains alluvial semi-evergreen forests" with some wet evergreen forest patches.<ref name=Hazarika2005/> It receives {{convert|249|cm|in|abbr=on}} of rainfall on average per year. Situated at an altitude between {{convert|100|and|120|m|ft|abbr=on}}, the topography gently slopes downward from southeast to northwest. The [[Bhogdoi River]] creates a waterlogged region dominated by [[Aquatic plant|semi-hydrophytic plants]] along the border of the sanctuary, helping to create three distinct habitat zones or micro-ecosystems in the park: the up-slope zone, the down-slope zone, and the flood-prone zone.<ref name=Ghosh2007/>

===Fauna===
The sanctuary has a very rich biodiversity and is home to the only apes in India, the [[western hoolock gibbon]] (''Hoolock hoolock''),<ref name=Ghosh2007/><ref name=Hazarika2005/> as well as the only nocturnal primate found in the northeast Indian states, the [[Bengal slow loris]] (''Nycticebus bengalensis'').<ref name=Ghosh2007/><ref name=Nandini2009/>

As of 2023, there are 125 individuals of Hoolock Gibbon in the sanctuary.<ref name=":0" />

Other primates include the [[stump-tailed macaque]] (''Macaca arctoides''), [[northern pig-tailed macaque]] (''Macaca leonina''), [[Assam macaque|eastern Assamese macaque]] (''Macaca assamensis assamensis''), [[rhesus macaque]] (''Macaca mulatta''), and [[capped langur]] (''Trachypithecus pileatus''). Also found at the sanctuary are Indian elephants, [[leopard]]s (''Panthera pardus''), [[jungle cat]]s (''Felis chaus''), [[wild boar]] (''Sus scrofa''), three types of [[civet]], four types of [[squirrels]], among several others. At least 219 species of bird and several types of snake are known to live in the park.<ref name=Ghosh2007/> Apart from that 211 species of [[butterflies]] were also reported from the Wildlife Sanctuary.<ref name=Singh2015>{{cite journal | last1 = Singh | first1 = Arun P.| last2 = Gogoi | first2 = Lina | last3 = Sebastain | first3 = Jiss | title = The seasonality of butterflies in a semi-evergreen forest: Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, northeastern India | journal = Journal of Threatened Taxa | year = 2015 | volume = 7 | issue = 1 | pages = 6774–6787 | doi = 10.11609/JoTT.o3742.6774-87| url = http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3742.6774-87 | doi-access = free }}</ref> The [[tiger]] (''Panthera tigris'') is now extirpated.

===Flora===
[[File:Canopy Gaps.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The sanctuary has a rich diversity of flora at each layer in the canopy.]]
Most of the vegetation within Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary is [[evergreen]] in character and is composed of several [[canopy (biology)|canopy]] layers.<ref name=Hazarika2005/>

The upper canopy consists mostly of ''[[Dipterocarpus retusus]]'' rising {{convert|12|to|30|m|ft|abbr=on}} and having straight [[Trunk (botany)|trunks]]. Other species found in the top canopy include ''sam'' (''[[Artocarpus chama]]''), ''Gomari'' (''[[Gmelina arborea]]''), ''amoora'' (''[[Spondias pinnata|Amoora wallichi]]''), ''sopas'' (''[[Magnolia]]'' spp.), ''bhelu'' (''[[Tetrameles nudiflora]]''), ''udal'' (''[[Sterculia villosa]]'') and ''hingori'' (''[[Castanopsis]]'' spp.).<ref name=Hazarika2005/>

''Nahor'' (''[[Mesua ferrea]]'') dominates the middle canopy with its spreading [[Crown (botany)|crown]], casting fairly heavy shade over a wide area. Other species that make up the middle canopy include ''bandordima'' (''[[Prasoxylon excelsum]]''), ''dhuna'' (''[[Canarium|Canarium resiniferum]]''), ''bhomora'' (''[[Terminalia belerica]]''), ''ful gomari'' (''[[Gmelina]]'' sp.) ''bonbogri'' (''[[Pterospermum|Pterospermum lanceafolium]]''), ''morhal'' (''[[Vatica|Vatica lanceafolia]]''), ''selleng'' (''[[Sapium|Sapium baccatum]]''), ''sassi'' (''[[Aquilaria malaccensis]]''), and ''otenga'' (''[[Dillenia indica]]'').<ref name=Hazarika2005/>

A variety of evergreen shrubs and herbs make up the lower canopy and ground layers. The most common of these are dolu bamboo (''[[Teinostachyum dullooa]]''), bojal bamboo (''[[Pseudostachyum polymorphum]]''), ''jengu'' (''[[Calamus erectus]]''), ''jati bet'' (''[[Calamus (palm)|Calamus]]'' spp.), ''houka bet'' (''Calamus'' spp.), ''tora'' (''[[Alpinia allughas]]''), ''kaupat'' (''[[Phrynium imbricatum]]''), and ''sorat'' (''[[Dendrocnide sinuata|Laportea cremulata]]'').<ref name=Hazarika2005/>

==Conservation==
The isolation of the park by numerous tea gardens creates a geographic barrier for migrating animals.<ref name=Hazarika2005/><ref name=Das2009/> The growing populations of tea garden workers also threatens the habitat since many people rely on the forest for firewood, traditional medicine and food.<ref name=Ghosh2007/><ref name=Hazarika2005/> Large quantities of leaves and grass are collected from the forests to feed cattle. During the rainy season, [[herbicide]]s and [[pesticide]]s from the tea gardens wash through the sanctuary.<ref name=Ghosh2007/>

The tea gardens are also used by elephants as a migration route to Nagaland, making them vulnerable to frequent poaching. Railway lines further divide the park, stranding a single group of gibbons in the smaller fragment. [[Illegal logging]] and the encroachment by local people employed by the tea gardens degraded the habitat quality.<ref name=Hazarika2005/>

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=protectedplanet>{{cite web | publisher = protectedplanet.net | url = http://protectedplanet.net/sites/308560 | title = Gibbon Sanctuary | access-date = 22 January 2011 | archive-date = 24 July 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110724022429/http://protectedplanet.net/sites/308560 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

<ref name=Das2009>{{cite journal | last1 = Das | first1 = Nabajit | last2 = Biswas | first2 = J | last3 = Das | first3 = J. | last4 = Ray | first4 = P. C. | last5 = Sangma | first5 = A. | last6 = Bhattacharjee | first6 = P. C. | title = Status of Bengal Slow Loris ''Nycticebus bengalensis'' (Primates: Lorisidae) in Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India | journal = Journal of Threatened Taxa | year = 2009 | volume = 1 | issue = 11 | pages = 558–561 | doi = 10.11609/jott.o2219.558-61 | doi-access = free }}</ref>

<ref name=Ghosh2007>{{cite journal | last = Ghosh | first = Kumud | title = Birds of Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary | journal = Newsletter for Birdwatchers | year = 2007 | volume = 47 | issue = 3 | pages = 35–40 | url = https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B3FJoJNii3LpZTYwMTBkMGItOWVjYi00N2M2LWEzY2EtNGUwZTIyYWY5ZjEy&hl=en_US}}</ref>

<ref name=Hazarika2005>{{cite journal |last1=Hazarika |first1=Reneema |last2=Gupta |first2=A. K. |title=Resource sharing by Hoolock Gibbon (''Bunopithecus hoolock'') with two primate species in Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India |journal=ENVIS Bulletin: Wildlife and Protected Areas |year=2007 |orig-year=2004 |volume=8 |issue=Conservation of Hoolock Gibbon (''Bunopithecus Hoolock'') in Northeast India |pages=195–216 |url=http://wiienvis.nic.in/hoolock_gibbon/assam_2.htm |issn=0972-088X |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721181009/http://wiienvis.nic.in/hoolock_gibbon/assam_2.htm |archive-date=2011-07-21 }}</ref>

<ref name=Nandini2009>{{cite journal | last1 = Nandini | first1 = Rajamani | last2 = Kakati | first2 = Kashmira | last3 = Ved | first3 = Nimesh | title = Occurrence records of the Bengal Slow Loris (''Nycticebus bengalensis'') in northeastern India | journal = Asian Primates Journal | year = 2009 | volume = 1 | issue = 2 | pages = 12–18 | url = http://www.primate-sg.org/PDF/APJ1.2.LorisIndia.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120303214230/http://www.primate-sg.org/PDF/APJ1.2.LorisIndia.pdf | archive-date = 2012-03-03 }}</ref>
}}

{{Protected areas of Assam}}
{{Protected areas of India}}

[[Category:Protected areas established in 1997]]
[[Category:Wildlife sanctuaries in Assam]]
[[Category:Primate sanctuaries]]
[[Category:Nature conservation organisations based in India]]
[[Category:1997 establishments in Assam]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1881]]

Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary - Revision history

Rupa Banerjee Editor at 22:50, 22 February 2026