How CBSGs CAMP & PHVA W orkshops help the S. Asian Prim ate Netw - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

How CBSG’s CAMP & PHVA W orkshops help the S. Asian Prim ate Netw ork

Case Study of W estern Hoolock Gibbon, I ndia and Bangladesh

Sally Walker, ZOO, PSG SAP Coordinator Sanjay Molur, ZOO, Technical Advisor

Conservation Breeding Specialist Group I UCN SSC

• Call it Conservation and Breeding Specialist

Group

• specialist group for sm all populations of w ild
• rganism s
• Tools for assessing, studying, solving

problem s, saving sm all populations in the w ild

• & for m aintaining viable populations of

threatened species in zoos for conservation purpose

• Zoo Outreach Organisation hosts a South Asia

Netw ork of CBSG

• tool in national biodiversity

planning and Red Listing of threatened taxa

• brings together a w ide range
• f experts & stakeholders to

contribute current and historical info on distribution, num bers, problem s, threats,

• etc. of taxa
• m ake recom m endations for
• intensive m anagem ent

action

• specific conservation-
• riented research and public

education

Conservation Assessm ent and Managem ent Plan CBSG’s C.A.M.P. process – Red Listing etc.

Report / Sum m ary to

• - policy-m akers
• - foresters
• - academ ics
• - educators
• - zoos

PHVA initiated for threatened W estern Hoolock Gibbon South Asian prim ate netw ork initiated South Asian Prim ate Education pgm began

2 0 0 2 C.A.M.P. for SAsian Prim ates

1 st phase conservation recom m endations‘ actions

Som e output from C.A.M.P.

• CAMP Report and Summary
• Education Programme
• S. Asian Primate Network
• PHVA workshop, rept and sum

SAP Ed

Rationale for PHVA

• I UCN Reg. & Nat. Guidelines
• assessed as Endangered ( EN) in I ndia
• Critically Endangered ( CR) in Bangladesh
• South Asia’s only gibbon; only ape
• Few localities in Bangladesh; very sm all

populations

• Populations ranging from 1 individual to groups of

2 5 - 4 0 ) in both countries

• Nearly all localities in both countries encroached

and fragm ented

• I ndian population num bers creating false sense of

security, particularly in I ndia -- m istaking frequent occurence for abundance

More rationale

• Multiple, serious threats
• Several Populations LOST in last tw o decades;
• Trade alone dram atic, … for food, products and

living anim als.

• habitat loss and encroachm ent.
• decrease in area by > 3 0 % in the last 1 0 years
• Predicted > 3 0 % decrease in the next 1 0

years

• decrease in the quality of habitat due to loss of

fruiting trees and sleeping trees and

• increase in canopy gaps.

Hoolock Gibbon PHVA

Excellent turn-out of W HG experts

PHVA w orkshop show ed …

• unstudied areas incl. border areas
• severity of decline ( + som e

extinctions) in sm all populations

• severity of fragm entation
• urgency need for population

m anagem ent, genetically & dem ographically

• More details of localities

Results of sim ulation m odelling 1

• 1. Populations < 5 individuals have > 90% probability of

extinction in the extremely near future 33% Bangladesh populations & 21.5% Indian populations

• 2. Populations with 6-10 individuals have > 50%

probability of extinction in the very near future. 33% Bangladesh pops & 21% Indian populations

Results of sim ulation m odelling 2

• 3. Populations with 11-20 individuals have more

than 25% probability of extinction near future. 31% in Bangladesh and 27.5% in India Therefore 75% of the total population is in immediate threat of extinction within 20-40 years (without poaching). Total WHG pops in Bangladesh = 21; in India = 111

Reality check -

8 populations in Bangladesh & 10 populations in India have become extinct between 2002 and 2005.

• Bangladesh -- VERY high probability of

extinction > 9 5 % of Hoolock pops w ithin 2 -3 decades.

• I ndia -- very high probability of extinction
• f > 7 0 % of Hoolock pops w ithin 2 -3

decades as per sim ulation m odel

Reality check

I ndia - 2 populations w ith only 1 individual and 1 5 populations w ith 1 fam ily group each of just 2 and 3 individuals. Bangladesh - 1 pop w ith 1 individual and 2 pops w ith 1 fam ily group of 2 and 3 individuals So ~ 2 0 m ore populations are ready GO anytim e now …

• ram pant habitat destruction.
• increasing settlem ent of hum ans in forest areas
• slash & burn ( jhum ) cultivation
• poaching for food and parts
• collecting for zoos

PHVA Recom m endations actually being carried

• ut

( in situ) -1

• Recom m ended that habitat destruction be arrested in

quantity and quality through m ulti-species

• plantations. –
• - USAI D Nishorgo Support Proj has conservation activities

in 3 Hoolock areas w ith perceived decline in logging

• Recom m ended enhanced m onitoring of habitat of W HG
• n priority basis w ith creation of m ore w ildlife posts,

training, im proved infrastructure

• - W ildlife Trust of Bangladesh
• - Hoolock Gibbon Conservation Centre

Recom m endations of PHVA actually being carried out

( in situ) -- 2

• Recom m ended - com m unity-based ecodevelopm ent pgm s for

alternate livelihood to check illegal activities and m inim ize habitat loss – USAI D Nishorgo Support Proj ( NSP) – Gibbon Conservation Centre in Assam

• both countries to create a detailed HG database

available to all for encouraging education program m es – W ildlife Trust of Bangladesh, – Hoolock Gibbon Conservation Centre, I ndia are doing this.

• A m ultidisciplinary gibbon expert team to be assem bled to

assess help w ith proposed translocation and subsequent m onitoring – Proposal to USFW S by W ildlife Trust of Bangladesh includes project to satisfy this recom m endation for Bangladesh.

Recom m endations of PHVA actually being carried out

( ex situ)

• Recom m ended no further W HG should be captured from the

w ild for zoos or captive breeding centres. – w hen it happened it w as corrected to an extent and m essage delivered.

• reccom m ended im provem ent of zoo husbandry, m anagem ent

and enclosures of HG w ith advice from experts of international repute. – Husbandry training in Dhaka Zoo im m ediately follow ing PHVA – I ntensive husbandry training scheduled in February 2 0 0 7 in Assam

• Zoos now holding HG should focus on education, research

and a regional cooperative breeding program m e – educational m aterials given; training planned and w orkshop for reg. Coop pgm scheduled.

I ndia - General observations & com m unication

• Dr. Atul Gupta ( prim ate researcher and senior forest officer)

conducted a m eeting of forest officers w rt W HG

• Meeting of foresters of I ndia and Bangladesh to be held in

Feb 2 0 0 7 w rt W GH

• Hoolock Researchers have used the PHVA Report & edu-

cational products for research, education and fundraising

• Great Ape Conservation Fund of USFW S got a shot in the arm

w ith m ore confidence in efficacy of W HG projects therefore m ore funds are being m ade available.

• I ncrease in project proposals for studies, education, and

training since PHVA

I m pact of W HG PHVA

Researcher from Assam w rites :

• no direct im pact on the forest departm ent in NE
• PHVA docum entation of W HG for research and

education has had good im pact

• Educational activities in NE increased

I m pact of W HG PHVA – neutral and positive

W TB & U. Dhaka have undertaken a project heavily influenced by PHVA output

• I m prove capacity of Forest Dept.
• I m prove aw areness of local people
• I nitiated plantation drive of indigenous tree
• Translocation of sm allest populations

I m pact of W HG PHVA Report

CBSG W orkshops

• CAMP / PHVA w orkshops generate

– Critical research and conservation data – I nterest – Enthusiasm – Money – Governm ental pressure – Public pressure

• Sustained and dedicated follow -up is

essential.

• People in the region of the target species

need to take responsibility, not CBSG.

• Much w ork needs to be done for H.Gibbon
• PHVA helped us know precisely w hat, and

how to address its seriousness

New developm ent For S. Asia

• Eastern hoolock

gibbon ( form erly thought endem ic to Myanm ar) discovered in I ndia

• Jayantha Das
• Unpublished;

can’t say m ore

• w w w zoosprint org

Thank You