Guwahati (Assam) [India], July 30 (ANI): A transformative community-led conservation initiative took place at the Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary, a Ramsar site in Cambodia’s Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve, inspired by Assam’s Hargila Army – a women-led movement to conserve and protect the endangered Greater Adjutant Stork.
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Cambodia hosted Dr. Purnima Devi Barman, UNEP Champion of the Earth, founder of the Hargila Army and Wildlife Biologist at Aaranyak in Assam, India, who led an innovative training programme for 20 Cambodian women conservationists and park rangers on July 28.
The day-long training aimed to adapt the Hargila Army model, a women-led conservation movement that has successfully protected the rare Greater Adjutant Stork (Hargila) in Assam.
By integrating traditional knowledge, cultural heritage, and ecological science, Dr. Barman’s sessions inspired participants to develop community-centred conservation strategies tailored to Cambodia.
A highlight of the programme was the inauguration of educational posters showcasing the behavioural ethogram of the Greater Adjutant, designed by Dr. Barman.
Unveiled by local community members and rangers, these posters symbolise a renewed commitment to conservation awareness and coexistence with storks and wetland wildlife.
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 protecting Cambodia’s natural and cultural heritage was also done in the training.
Phearun Sun, WCS Tonle Sap Landscape Program Manager, who coordinated the event, expressed enthusiasm for future collaborations between the Assam Hargila conservation team and Prek Toal communities.
He highlighted the Hargila Army’s behaviour change model as an inspiration for community-driven conservation efforts to protect the Greater Adjutant Stork.
A landmark outcome of the training was the formation of the Sisters and Brothers of Storks, a new collaborative global network that will work alongside the Hargila Army to conserve the Greater Adjutant globally for all other stork species, fostering a cross-border alliance for inclusive, community-based conservation.
“This is not just about saving a species,” said Purnima Devi Barman.
“It’s 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,” She said.
This training marks a milestone in South-South cooperation for biodiversity conservation, gender equality in field-based Wildlife conservation programs and strengthening ties between Assam and Cambodia through a shared commitment to ecological protection and women’s leadership. (ANI)
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