Chipko Movement

 

Chipko Movement

Why in News

Recently, Sunderlal Bahuguna, the Gandhian who was the driving force behind the Chipko movement died due to Covid-19.

Chipko Movement:

*      The Chipko Movement, an iconic environmental conservation movement that took root in the Himalayan region of India, has etched its name in history as a prime example of grassroots activism for ecological protection.

*      Emerging from the heart of rural communities, the movement resonated with a powerful message of environmental stewardship and sustainable development.

*      It was a non-violent agitation which originated in Uttar Pradesh’s Chamoli district (now Uttarakhand) in 1973.

*      The name of the movement ‘chipko’ comes from the word ’embrace’, as the villagers hugged the trees and encircled them to prevent being hacked.

*      It is best remembered for the collective mobilisation of women for the cause of preserving forests, which also brought about a change in attitude regarding their own status in society.

*      It’s biggest victory was making people aware of their rights to forests, and how grassroots activism can influence policy-making regarding ecology and shared natural resources.

*      It led to a ban on commercial felling of trees above 30 degrees slope and above 1,000 msl (mean sea level) in 1981.

Sunderlal Bahuguna

*      He was an Indian environmentalist and Chipko movement leader.

*      The idea of the Chipko movement was suggested by his wife and him.

*      He fought for the preservation of forests in the Himalayas, first as a member of the Chipko movement in the 1970s, and later spearheaded the anti-Tehri Dam movement from the 1980s to early 2004.

*      He was one of the early environmentalists of India,and later he and others associated with the Chipko movement and started taking up wider environmental issues, such as being opposed to large dams