Recent efforts have seen Cambodia adopting Assam’s successful conservation model for the greater adjutant stork at the Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary in the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve. This initiative, led by Dr Purnima Devi Barman, aims to empower local communities, especially women, in protecting endangered stork species and wetland biodiversity.
Background of the Assam Hargila Army
- The Hargila Army is a women-led conservation movement in Assam focused on protecting the endangered greater adjutant stork through community participation.
- The movement combines scientific knowledge with cultural traditions to change local attitudes towards the stork and integrates education, local customs, and ecological science.
Training Programme in Cambodia
- On 28 July 2025, 20 Cambodian women conservationists and park rangers were trained in the Hargila Army model hosted by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Cambodia.
- The training included leadership exercises, cultural activities, and educational outreach to connect local culture with environmental values.
Educational Outreach and Community Engagement
- Educational posters featuring the behavioural ethogram of the greater adjutant stork were revealed to raise awareness and promote coexistence with storks and wetland wildlife.
- Local community members and rangers participated in the inauguration, marking a new phase of grassroots conservation in the Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary.
Global Collaboration and Network Formation
- The creation of the Sisters and Brothers of Storks network aims to work alongside the Hargila Army to protect greater adjutant storks and other stork species worldwide.
- This global alliance promotes cross-border collaboration and shared conservation strategies for biodiversity protection.
Significance of Women’s Leadership in Conservation
- Empowering women as guardians of nature integrates conservation into culture and daily life, building sustainable community-driven conservation.
- Women’s leadership enhances both biodiversity protection and social inclusion.
South-South Cooperation and Ecological Ties
- This initiative strengthens ecological and cultural ties between Assam and Cambodia, advancing biodiversity protection in globally important wetlands through successful conservation models.
- The partnership aims to replicate and adapt conservation strategies across regions through South-South cooperation.
Key Takeaways for Competitive Exams:
- Assam’s Hargila Army model for greater adjutant stork conservation has been adopted in Cambodia’s Prek Toal Bird Sanctuary.
- Empowering women in conservation efforts is central to sustainable biodiversity protection and community-driven initiatives.
- Global collaboration networks like the Sisters and Brothers of Storks aim to protect stork species worldwide through shared conservation strategies.
