Purnima Devi Barman is now among the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) 2022 Champions of the Earth award.
Purnima Devi Barman, conservation biologist, is now among the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) 2022 Champions of the Earth award announced on Tuesday. For the unversed, she is known for initiating an all-female grassroots conservation movement from Assam for saving the greater adjutant, one of the world's rarest storks.
The annual Champions of the Earth award, since its inception in 2005, has been honoured to trailblazers at the forefront of efforts to protect the natural world. It is not only the UN's highest environmental honour, but it has also recognized 111 laureates: 26 world leaders, 69 individuals and 16 organisations. This year, 2,200 nominations from around the world were received.
"This year's Champions demonstrate how reviving ecosystems and supporting nature's remarkable capacity for regeneration is everyone's job: governments, the private sector, scientists, communities, NGOs and individuals,” he added.
UNEP's 2022 Champions of the Earth awarded Barman in the Entrepreneurial Vision category. She leads the "Hargila Army", which protects the greater adjutant stork from extinction. The women in the "Hargila Army" raise awareness about the species while building their own financial independence.
For the unversed, one million species of stork are at risk of extinction as their habitats disappear or become polluted. Hence, ecosystem restoration is vital for keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius.
This year's awards highlight the efforts to prevent, halt and reverse ecosystem degradation globally. It cannot be ruled out that on every continent and in every ocean, there is a massive threat. Oceans are now overfished and polluted, with 11 million tonnes of plastic landing up in marine environments annually.
One million species, hence, are now at risk of extinction.
