New Delhi

Purnima Devi Barman, conservation biologist known for initiating all-female grassroots conservation movement from Assam for saving the Greater Adjutant, one of the world's rarest storks, is among the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) 2022 Champions of the Earth award announced on Tuesday.

Since its inception in 2005, the annual Champions of the Earth award has been awarded to trailblazers at the forefront of efforts to protect the natural world.

It is the UN's highest environmental honour. To date, the award has recognized 111 laureates: 26 world leaders, 69 individuals and 16 organizations.

This year a record 2,200 nominations from around the world were received.

UNEP's 2022 Champions of the Earth are Barman honoured in the Entrepreneurial Vision category, is a wildlife biologist who leads the "Hargila Army", an all-female grassroots conservation movement dedicated to protecting the greater adjutant stork from extinction.

ALSO READ: Illu to help Namibian Cheetahs settle down in Kuno

The women create and sell textiles with motifs of the bird, helping to raise awareness about the species while building their own financial independence.