UN award for conservationist B. Chittama of Berhampur

B Chittama, president of Samudram, a confederation of 6,000 coastal traditional marine fisherwomen, won the prestigious UN award Equator. The award was conferred on Samudram in New York on September 20 by UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon. "We had never imagined such a proud moment will come in our life," said Chittamma. Berhampur based Samudram is the only organisation in Asia to get the coveted Award. Chitamma received a cash award of $5,000 and a certificate of achievement from the United Nations. Chitamma, a Class III dropout, leads the Samudram Women’s Federation from the Aryapalli village in Gopalpur port. The organisation has been awarded for its initiatives in Olive Ridley turtle conservation and poverty reduction. “We have trained fishermen in sustainable farming practices such as using turtle excluding devices. We have also asked them to avoid mesh size fishing nets. We have motivated the fishermen to adopt fishing holidays and to mark no-take zones to ensure fish breeding and growth,” said Chitamma. Samudram has worked for artificial reef construction in the coastal area to improve fish productivity and help eco-restoration. The women’s group has organised several campaigns opposing the ecologically destructive measures as the laws related to the dilution of coastal regulation zone. The group has also taken up artificial reef cultivation programme with technological help from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. “Reeds including Capavicus and Glacilleria are being grown, dried and sold by our group. We procure the seeds from Rameshwaram. In these endeavours, we are being guided by professors of the Algae Research Cell at Berhampur University,” she said. Besides conservation, efforts are being made by the organisation to ensure poverty reduction by equipping groups of fisherwomen with training and exposure of storage and marketing facilities with installations like warehouses and refrigerators. “This award means a lot to us. We will use the award money for the development of our organisation and for the betterment of the fishermen’s community,” she added.

Source: The Telegraph