October 29, 2021
Conserving the endangered Greater Adjutant Stork through people's movement in Assam
Dr. Purnima Devi Barman
Wildlife Biologist, Aaranyak and Founder of Hargila Army
Abstract
Greater Adjutant Leptoptilos dubius is an endangered bird with an estimated global population of around 1200 birds. Habitat loss, poisoning and poaching were identified as major threats to this bird and the population was in a decreasing trend. Assam is considered its last stronghold. In Assam this colonial nesting bird makes nesting colonies in the Brahmaputra valley and mainly in privately owned trees within thickly populated villages. In recent years, many nesting colonies in Assam are missing and the population is going down. Nest tree owners used to cut nesting trees to avoid rotten and smelly nest fall materials and excreta of this carnivore bird in their backyards. Many nest tree owners cut the nesting trees to earn their livelihood too. Willingness of the nest tree owner is the key for conservation of this bird. A conservation project was initiated since 2007 involving community development, education and outreach pride building, research , interlinking the bird with traditions, capacity building of local communities and developing a rural women conservation group called Hargila Army with more than 10,000 rural women ,( currently) for this bird in its biggest nesting colony in Kamrup District of Assam. Using various community conservation tools and interlinking the bird with local traditions and cultures, a very strong pride feeling and ownership feeling” for this bird by the villagers was achieved. Cash incentive was deliberately avoided and livelihood schemes were introduced for protection of this bird by the villagers. In return the population of this bird had increased in this nesting colony from 27nests in 2007-08 to 250 nests in 2021 in the breeding season in Dadara, Pachariya, Singimari village making it the largest breeding colony of the world which is an increase of more than 10 fold.
Biosketch
Dr. Purnima Devi Barman popularly known as ‘’Hargila baido” locally and Stork Sister globally is a conservation biologist of India based in Guwahati, Assam. She works with Ngo Aaranyak as a biologist. She has been pioneering a community women conservation group called Hargila army, an all rural women army team in villages in Assam. With the support of the Hargila army, Purnima has included the bird into traditions, culture among communities. Her environment education , awareness module includes cultures based education which includes Hargila baby shower, cooking completion merged with environment, web of life for Hargila, Hargila campaign in community gita bhagwat procession, happy hatching, Hargila mehendi, Hargila campaign in Lakhsmi puja, Durga puja and many pride campaigns. Purnima includes Hargila and other wildlife into Assamese traditional textiles by empowering women of the villages.
Purnima is the recipient of the Whitley Award 2017/Green Oscar 2017 for her crusading conservation movement to protect the highly endangered Greater Adjutant Stork. This was conferred by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne in London at Royal Geographical Society on 18th May 2017. Purnima has been conferred with Nari Shakti Purashkar by the President of India which is the highest civilian award for Indian women. She has been tirelessly working with communities and conducting research on the storks for the last 15 years. Purnima was also awarded several other distinguished awards, including the UNDP India biodiversity Award 2016 from the United Nations, the Royal Bank of Scotland RBS “Earth Hero Award” under save the species category 2016 and the Balipara foundation “Green Guru Award” in 2016 She is also the recipient of the Yamin Hazarika memorial award. Purnima is the founder of a group called “Hargila army”. (voice of rural women as protector of tree) and has organized over 10,000 local rural women into the “Hargila Army” to implement Hargila conservation and in this Hargila army over 400 rural women acts daily in the forefront group to voice for nature.