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| Edited By: Pooja Patel |Source: DNA |Updated: Dec 05, 2017, 01:56 PM IST
Wildlife biologist Purnima Devi Barman was one of six conservationists chosen for this year’s Whitley Award, popularly called the Green Oscars. The award was in recognition of her efforts to conserve the Greater Adjutant Stork, listed as ‘endangered’ on IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species. There are only around 1,200 of these storks surviving today in India and Cambodia, the two countries where they are found. Assam accounts for 75% of the birds’ population - Kamrup district alone has some 600. Locally known as hargila - Assamese for 'swallower of bones' - the Greater Adjutant Stork was traditionally looked down upon by villagers in Kamrup. So Barman, who is associated with the NGO Aaranyak, had to convince them of the need to conserve these birds. A decade later, the same villagers have become an ‘army’ of foot soldiers who are fiercely protective of the hargila.
Everyone is interested in the ‘mega animals’ like rhinos and tigers, but I felt that other species such as the greater adjutant storks, who need conservation efforts equally, are neglected. After completing my masters, I had decided to pursue a PhD in ‘breeding biology of the greater adjutant storks’. But one day, I received a distress call about a man cutting down a tree where nine greater adjutant storks were nesting. When I reached the spot, I saw the tiny chicks had fallen on the ground, while the man, blissfully ignorant, went on cutting the tree. After talking to the man, I realised that he was unaware of the importance of these birds. That’s when I realised that the villagers were not at fault. I decided to put my PhD on hold and educate the villagers.
Greater adjutant storks are scavengers and feed on carcasses, leaving rotten leftovers all over the place, much to the annoyance of the villagers. The birds are tagged as dirty, and people cut the trees where they nested. The shrinking wetlands in Assam has also affected the population, as these birds depend on it for food. The cutting down of timber trees to construct houses is also a major contributor to their decline. To top it, these birds are time and again poached for their meat.
These birds live in close proximity of humans. So it was extremely difficult to reason with the villagers. But I explained the grim scenario and motivated the villagers not to cut trees and save these birds. Since they cut down timber trees and sold them for a living, we showed them alternate means of earning. The community in Kamrup is good at weaving, so we helped them with textile equipment to make them self-reliant.
We have been working with the community in Kamrup – individuals, households and schools. It was a challenge to integrate the birds into the daily lives of villagers, to create an emotional connect between them and the birds. For this, each year, I conduct baby shower ceremonies for the incubating greater adjutant stork just like it is done traditionally for pregnant Assamese women. We organised events with cooking, singing and other activities to involve people, clubbing it with information about the greater adjutant stork. I initiated a feeling of ownership of the birds, and made them understand that saving these birds was their responsibility.
I am hoping our work in Kamrup, which has become a model for the conservation of the greater adjutant stork, will be replicated in other areas of Assam too. This is now my agenda for the next few years.
