A power line which is being planned in Bhairab Proposed Reserved Forest in Assam will threaten the golden langur, an endangered species.
A power company is planning to set up the tower lines of two 400 KV double Circuit Transmission lines under the project Nangalbibra-Bongaigaon ISTS power transmission of Sterlite Company in Bhairab Proposed Reserved Forest.
Golden langur (Trachypithecus geei) belongs to a large group of Old World monkeys called the colobines (subfamily Colobinae). It has a restricted range in a transboundary landscape between Bhutan and India with diverse topography and climatic and biotic components. It is listed among the world’s 25 most endangered primates.
The population of Golden Langur in Assam will be around 6000 and the global population would be around 7879-8000.
A team headed by Dr Dilip Chetry a leading primatologist from Aaranyak, Dr Ashoke Kumar Das from the Department of Botany Abhayapuri College, Arup Kumar Das Geo-Spatial technologist from Aaranyak and Dharam Ranjan Roy local conservationist had visited the Bahirab Proposed Reserved Forest and observed that power line will bifurcate the forest into two parts on the southern part of the proposed reserve forest.
The Forest Department had already enumerated 2330 trees mainly of Gamari, Sal, Segun, Koroi, and Demaru to be cut for the clearing of space for the proposed power line measuring a width of 46m and 4171km in length.
Dr Chetry said the high power transmission line in the home range of the golden langur in the Bhairab proposed reserve forest is really dangerous to the arboreal golden langur population in this area.
Dr Chetry also said that Bhairab Proposed Reserve Forest under the Aie Valley Forest Division with an area of 36.04 sq km is one of the potential habitats of endangered Golden langur (Trachypithecus geei) and holds the highest number of individuals (+150) of Golden langur in Bongaigaon district.
“The populations are on an increasing trend,” Chetry said.
The Golden langur is a Schedule I species (WPA,1972) and Endangered species according to IUCN, 2020.
Experts say increasing habitat fragmentation and isolation across its range, especially in Assam, poses a danger to the golden langur, a primate species.
The enumerated 2330 tree species are mature food and lodging trees of the Golden langur.
Dr Chetry has requested the concerned department mainly the Bongaigaon District administration and Assam Forest Department to divert the power line to save the available tree species of the forest and Golden langur in particular.
Dr Chetry said the power line can be diverted through the fringe area of Bhairab PRF where it will be just 1km more than the proposed power line or can also lay through an underground insulated cable which will save the biodiversity of the area.
A habitat suitability study of the golden langur, that’s found in Assam, India and Bhutan, projects that by 2031, only 13% of its current habitat will be liveable for the species.
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