Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Wildlife biologist Dr. Purnima Devi Barman has been named one of 15 global winners of the 2026 Wayfinder Award. Presented by the National Geographic Society and Kia America, the honor recognizes leaders across six continents for their work in science, conservation, and storytelling. Dr. Barman will travel to Washington, D.C., for the official ceremony held from June 14 to June 18.
Dr. Barman earned this recognition for her work protecting the endangered greater adjutant stork, known locally as the hargila. She founded the Hargila Army, a women-led collective that transformed the bird from a target of local superstition into a celebrated symbol of ecological pride. Through this initiative, the number of identified nesting sites in the region has grown from 27 to over 300.
More than 20,000 rural women now participate in the project, which supports conservation alongside livelihood programs like weaving. These efforts have helped Assam sustain the world’s largest breeding population of the species, with numbers now exceeding 1,800 birds. Dr. Barman, who has previously received the UN Champions of the Earth Award and the Whitley Gold Award, is dedicating this latest achievement to her late father.
Regarding her source of strength, she stated, "She has dedicated the recognition to his memory, calling him her strongest source of inspiration." Her father, Subedar Major Bhabani Kanta Sarma, was an Indian Army veteran who served in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
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