'Hargila Baideu' Purnima Devi Barman Receives World Female Ranger Award

GUWAHATI: Famed environmentalist 'Hargila baideu' Purnima Devi Barman has received international recognition for her work in the field of conservation in the state of Assam. She is one of the recipients of the World Female Ranger Award of 2022.

Purnima Devi Barman is the founder of the Hargila Army dedicated to the protection of the Greater Adjutant Stork. Starting almost single-handedly, this organisation now has over 10,000 rural women participating in various capacities, all dedicated to the protection of the endangered bird. These women are majorly from the Dadara, Singimari and Pachariya villages of the Kamrup district of the state of Assam. Once considered to be a carrier of diseases, these birds are treated with the utmost respect in the community. Locally known as Hargila in Assamese, the Greater Adjutant Stork is listed as Endangered in the ICUN list.

A masters in Ecology and Wildlife Biology from Gauhati University, Purnima Devi Barman has won several other recognitions in the past. These include Whitley Award from the Whitley Fund for Nature and Nari Shakti Puraskar from the Government of India. Mainly for her conservation and rehabilitation-related works in the region, she has worldwide recognition. Community development via women empowerment is another field of her work. The creation of traditional handicrafts with hargila motifs has been accepted wildly. Not only did it generate finances for the ladies of the villages, but also create awareness in people beyond the local community.

The World Female Ranger Award is given by the UK-based NGO, How Many Elephants. This award was started last year by the founder Holly Budge. And Purnima Devi Barman is one out of the total 5500 women selected from all over the world for this recognition. They also organise the World Female Ranger Week from June 23 to 30 to celebrate and encourage the women working in the field of conservation from across the world.

Also read: Assam: Armed Forces to Deploy Indigenous LCH Prachand Helicopters in Missamari

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