What was the Chipko Movement?

The Chipko Movement was a grassroots environmental movement in India that began in 1973 in Uttarakhand. Villagers primarily women literally hugged trees to prevent commercial logging. "Chipko" means "to hug/cling" in Hindi.

• Led by Gaura Devi in Reni village; philosophy promoted by Sunderlal Bahuguna.
• Led to a ban on commercial tree felling in the Himalayas in 1980.
• Became a global model for environmental and women's rights activism.

The Chipko Movement (1973) was India's iconic forest protection movement where villagers hugged trees to stop deforestation, leading to a felling ban.