50 years of Chipko Movement | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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    50 years of Chipko Movement

    Posted 22 Apr 2024

    2 min read

    • Chipko movement was a non-violent protest to prevent felling of trees in Himalayas that begun in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand (then Uttar Pradesh) in 1973 under the leadership of Sundarlal Bahuguna, Gaura Devi, etc.
      • Name of the movement ‘chipko’ comes from the word ’embrace’, as the villagers hugged the trees to prevent their felling. 
      •  Original Chipko movement started by Rajasthan’s Bishnoi community in 18th century to save sacred trees.
    • Chipko movement is renowned for its collective mobilization of women in the effort to conserve forests, manifesting the philosophy of Eco-feminism.
       
    • Eco-feminism: It is a philosophical and political movement that examines connections between ecological concerns and women.
      • It contends that our culture is dominated by a capitalist patriarchal system, where societal values and ethics are dictated by a profit-driven, sexist, and male-centric society.
         
    • Reasons behind emergence of Eco-feminism:
      • Interconnectedness of exploitation and degradation of the natural environment and the subjugation of women in patriarchal societies.
      • Significance of traditional knowledge often held and transmitted by women, in promoting sustainable practices.
      • Women’s lived experiences where women have close and direct relationships with natural environment, being responsible for collecting water, firewood, etc.
         
    • Contemporary relevance of Eco-feminism: Critique of capitalist exploitation, valuing traditional ecological knowledge, recognition of Environmental Justice, etc.
       

    Other Important Eco-feminist movement

    • Narmada Bachao Andolan (1985): Led by environmental activist Medha Patkar against construction of large dam on Narmada.
    • Appiko Movement (1980s): Inspired by the Chipko movement, women in Karnataka's Western Ghats embraced trees to prevent deforestation. 
    • Silent Valley Movement (1973): To save a rainforest from being flooded for a hydroelectric project in Kerala.
    • Women’s fight against human and environmental injustice in the infamous Bhopal Gas tragedy.
    • Tags :
    • Chipko Movement
    • Eco-feminism

    Articles Sources

    https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/forests/chipko-a-distant-memory-95618
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