Odisha women protect a forest

75 women in Gundalba village that fall under the district of Puri in the Mahanadi delta, have been taking turns to literally blow the whistle on potential timber smugglers and tree cutters in this sandy strip of the coastal woodland. The committee of these women is called the “Pir Jahania Van Surakhya Samiti” which is nurtured by women who came together voluntarily in response to the devastation after the 1999 Odisha super-cyclone battered the northern Indian Ocean.

Since that day, 70 women came together in 2001 to form the women forest protection committee with representations from every household to revive and manage the biodiversity of the 75-hectare forest area. Plus a 103 households nearby Devi river mouth also joined the movement.

Odisha News Insight: In 2012, the group won the UNDP India Biodiversity Award in the community stewardship section for their efforts to restore the natural heritage of their village.