Assam’s wildlife conservationist, Dr. Purnima Devi Barman has been conferred the Whitley Gold Award for this year 2024.
Key points
- The award has been given to Ms. Barman for her incredible efforts for the conservation of Greater Adjutant Stork, locally known as Hargila.
- She mobilized local men and women known as Hargila Army at Kamrup district in her conservation efforts. Kamrup district has the highest number of hargila in the world.
Whitley Awards
- The Whitley Awards is held annually by the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN).
- The charity’s flagship prizes – the ‘Green Oscars’ – recognise individuals for galvanising their communities in saving some of the world’s most fragile ecosystems and for their innovative solutions to the threats to nature.
Hargila
- Greater Adjutants are called “hargila” in the Assamese language, which literally translates as “bone swallower.”
- The majority of the world’s remaining population lives around the city of Guwahati and relies on a single garbage dump for food and on nearby villages for nesting.
