Purnima Devi Barman leads Hargila Army saving greater adjutant storks
India
Wildlife biologist Purnima Devi Barman is behind Assam's inspiring Hargila Army, a group of 20,000 women working together to save the near threatened greater adjutant stork.
These birds were once seen as unlucky and nearly vanished from Assam in the 1990s, but thanks to Barman and her team, their numbers are bouncing back.
Hargila Army boosts storks and livelihoods
The Hargila Army has helped grow the local stork population from just 115 to over 1,800 in Assam, out of a global total of more than 3,180.
Their efforts go beyond rescue: they protect nesting sites, run awareness drives, and even weave stork designs into Assamese textiles for extra income.
Barman's creative approach has earned global recognition and sparked similar conservation programs abroad.