- Purnima Devi Barman, a wildlife biologist from Assam, has received the Whitley Gold Award 2024.
- She received the award for her conservation efforts of the endangered Greater Adjutant Stork and its wetland habitat. Stork is locally as “Hargila” in Assamese.
- She wants to double the global population to 5,000 by 2030 by working across the stork’s range in India and Cambodia.
- Apart from her, six other grassroots conservationists – from Guyana, Papua New Guinea, Bhutan, Cameroon, Nepal and Brazil have also received this award.
Whitley Gold Award
- It is given by the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN).
- It supports grassroots conservation leaders from around the world.
- The award is presented at a Royal Geographical Society awards ceremony in London. It is also known as the ‘Green Oscar’.