The Himalaya are a fragile treasure trove of biodiversity with very unique species found nowhere else in the world. Being a highly sensitive landscape, threats such as climate crisis caused by anthropogenic activities are rapidly destroying the species, the habitats and thus affecting the communities. To address these challenges Zoo Outreach Organisation initiated the Himalyan Langur Project in 2012 at Chamba, Himachal Pradesh.

 

Over the years the project has achieved the following:

  1. Identified the different Himalayan Langur troops in the study site.
  2. Understood the feeding ecology of langurs.
  3. Analysed the different threats and the causal factors for negative human-animal interactions.
  4. Developed focused outreach materials such as posters, activity books – Achamba etc.
  5. Inculcated a strong relationship with the farmers in the different villages to restore the landscape and provide corridors to reduce negative interactions and facilitate free movement between the different troops.
  6. Built partnership with 28 villages and various women’s self-help groups

 

Future goals:

  1. Continue restoration of the extremely neglected, poorly-known, deteriorated broad-leaf oak and pine forest habitat in Chamba, western Himalaya through plantation of native tree species preferred by langurs, black bears, macaques and porcupines.
  2. Develop skills among the women self-help groups to help them earn ecology-based livelihood and empower them to set up nurseries, reforest, sell native saplings, train in natural history, and sustainable ecotourism to generate ecology-based livelihoods.
  3. Set up a community led ecotourism project in Chamba. The project will be run by selected interested women from 10 women self-help groups present in the area along with the help of other members in the community, to promote life listing, sustainable responsible ecotourism.
  4. Set up a co-operative ecotourism mechanism to generate revenues that are being lost due to crop raiding through livelihood training skills.

 

To know more about HLP email us at
zooreach@zooreach.org