News Excerpt:
Purnima Devi Barman receives Green Oscar for Greater Adjutant Stork and its wetland habitat Conservation in Assam.
More about the news:
- Barman will receive £100,000 for her efforts, which have transformed both the outlook for the scavenger bird and the local women, known as "Stork Sisters," who have become conservation leaders.
About Green Oscar:
- The Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) annually celebrates grassroots conservation leaders for their innovative solutions and community-based approaches to save some of the world's most fragile ecosystems which is called Whitley Awards or Green Oscars.
- Winners of the Whitley Awards are provided with funding to scale up their conservation efforts and broaden their global impact.
- The Whitley Awards recognise leaders in the conservation space from around the world.
How did Barman contribute to the conservation?
- Barman's dedication to save the greater adjutant stork has resulted in a significant increase in nesting colonies.
- In one such colony in Kamrup district, the number of nests rose from just 27 in 2007 to 250 in 2021 which is largely attributed to Barman's "Hargila Army" known as "Stork Sisters," who have become conservation leaders of over ten thousand local women who have worked to protect the bird and its habitat.
- This group of women not only contributes to the conservation of the bird but also empowers thousands of women, enhancing their livelihoods and driving social change within their communities.
- The project has rescued more than 500 greater adjutant chicks that fell from nests, while also planting 45,000 saplings near the stork nesting trees and wetland areas to increase nesting habitat.
- She and her Stork Sisters have initiated awareness campaigns, produced textiles with greater adjutant motifs, and conducted outreach programmes in schools and villages. Their village-to-village campaigns involve surprise field visits and educational sessions with locals.
