WWF on safety of wildlife in Assam
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Newmai News Network
Guwahati, March 08 2011:
The World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF) has suggested artificial tree-like structures at strategic points of the East-West Corridor to aid the movement of apes.
It has also suggested 'safe passages' for jumbos where the four-lane highway cuts through elephant corridors.
These measures were underscored in a report titled 'Ensuring Safe Access to Wildlife in Lumding Reserve Forest' that WWF released on Monday.
The 22,403-hectare Lumding RF in central Assam's Nagaon district is part of the Kaziranga landscape and is an important elephant habitat.
The RF also has a sizeable population of hoolock gibbons, India's only ape.
Meant for the consumption of the bosses of National Highway Authority of India � it has handling the four-lane project connecting Gujarat and Assam � the WWF report has suggested making artificial lianas (climbers) connected at regular intervals of 1-2 km across the road from tall trees.
"These lianas can be made locally and last for many years and almost all arboreal mammals have been seen to use them," the report said.
Hoolock gibbons are territorial (they remain within a specific area) and exclusively arboreal (move from tree to tree) .
The 27 km road through Lumding RF, under expansion, has dense canopies at 119 points.
Hoolock gibbons and other primates use these canopies to move across the road.
Expanding the highway would mean felling many trees along the road, thus affecting the primates' tree-top movement.
Besides, the WWF suggested several 'safe passages', possibly underpasses, for elephants along the stretch through Lumding RF, also a key elephant habitat.
At present, there are only two passages, "which is not at all sufficient as elephants cross through almost the entire stretch of this road" .