The northeastern region of India also, referred to as a “biogeographical gateway,” is the transition zone between Indian, Indo-Malayan and Indo-Chinese biogeographical regions. Primates are an important component of this region's biodiversity. The objectives of our study were to map the distribution and status of the different primate species to record habitat fragmentation, and to assess present forest status and human population pressures in Northeast India. Between 1994 and 2001, we surveyed several protected, reserved, and unclassified forests (about 650,000 ha) using a modified line-transect method to cover all representative areas in a randomly stratified manner to estimate density and distribution of primate species. Four species of macaque (rhesus, Assamese, northern pig-tailed, and stump-tailed) and three species of langur (capped, golden, and Phayre's), the hoolock gibbon, and the Bengal slow loris were sighted. The species recorded occur in very low densities with low numbers of immatures, and are threatened due to habitat loss and hunting. Recommendations were made to upgrade the status of many reserved forests, to make improvements to the country's wildlife laws, to increase the number of protected areas in the region, for public education and community participation programs, and political action to implement effective conservation strategies.