Assam conservationist takes Hargila model to Cambodia, trains women wildlife rangers
Purnima Devi Barman took her successful conservation model to Cambodia in a bid to empower women & promote cross-border collaboration in wildlife protection.
The training programme took place on Monday at the Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary.
Guwahati, July 30: Green Oscar award-winning conservationist Purnima Devi Barman, renowned for founding the women-led ‘Hargila Army’ to protect the endangered Greater Adjutant Stork (GAS), has taken her successful conservation model to Cambodia in a bid to empower women and promote cross-border collaboration in wildlife protection.
Barman led a transformative training programme on Monday at the Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary—a Ramsar site within Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve. The day-long session brought together 20 women conservationists and park rangers from across the country.
The initiative focused on adapting the Hargila Army model, which has been instrumental in safeguarding the Greater Adjutant in Assam through grassroots, community-driven efforts.
Describing the programme as a significant step toward global cooperation, Barman—who is also a UNEP Champion of the Earth—announced the launch of a new international conservation network: the Sisters and Brothers of Storks. This global alliance will work in tandem with the Hargila Army to protect the Greater Adjutant and other stork species, promoting inclusive and community-based conservation efforts across borders.
"This is not just about saving a species but about empowering communities, especially women, to become guardians of nature by weaving conservation into the fabric of their culture and daily lives. The energy and resolve of the women of Prek Toal deeply moved me", Barman said.
The training marks a milestone in South-South cooperation for biodiversity conservation, gender equality in field-based wildlife conservation programmes and strengthening ties between Assam and Cambodia through a shared commitment to ecological protection and women's leadership, she said.
By integrating traditional knowledge, cultural heritage, and ecological science, the sessions inspired participants to develop community-centered conservation strategies tailored to Cambodia, Barman said.
The highlight of the programme, organised by Cambodia's Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), was the inauguration of educational posters, designed by Barman, showcasing the behavioural ethogram of the Greater Adjutant stork.
Unveiled by local community members and rangers, these posters symbolise a renewed commitment to conservation awareness and coexistence with storks and wetland wildlife, she said.
The training featured engaging and creative activities, including leadership exercises to map women's strengths in conservation, cultural integration activities connecting local traditions with environmental values, "textile hunt" exploring nature reflected in fabrics and folk expressions and "web of life" game illustrating biodiversity interdependence.
A collective pledge ceremony affirming dedication to protect Cambodia's natural and cultural heritage was also taken during the training.
PTI