Appiko movement
Topic: Civil Society, Pressure Groups, NGOs and Self-help Groups · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Appiko movement was a forest-saving movement in the Western Ghats. It started in 1983 in Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, and was led by Panduranga Hegde. Villagers hugged trees to stop them being cut down, in the style of the Chipko movement. It showed how a simple local protest could spread to a new region and protect forests.
Example
In 1983, villagers in Uttara Kannada went into the forests and hugged trees marked for felling. They refused to let go, which stopped the cutting and drew public attention to the loss of forests in the Western Ghats.
Don't confuse with
- Chipko movement: Chipko began earlier, in 1973, at Mandal village in Garhwal (now Uttarakhand). It was led by Chandi Prasad Bhatt and Sunderlal Bahuguna, and women under Gaura Devi took part. Appiko is its later version in Karnataka.
- Silent Valley movement: that movement in Kerala opposed a hydel dam, a dam built to make electricity. It did not use tree-hugging.