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AppikoMovement

Humankindhasnotwoventheweboflife.Wearebutonethreadwithinit.Whateverwedototheweb,wedotoourselves.Allthingsareboundtogether.Allthingsconnect.ChiefSeattle.

LongbeforeAlGorebegansharingtheinconvenienttruthabouttheenvironment,villagersinIndiaunderstooditandwereperformingtheirownformofenvironmentalactivism.About276yearsago,agroupofvillagersinIndiawereprotectingtheirforestsfromfelling.ThestorybeginswithAmritaDevi,awomanwiththreedaughterswhobelongedtotheBishnoisectofHinduismandlivedwithinaforestinthedesertstateofRajasthan.TheBishnoisbelieveinlivingasonewithnatureandunderstandtheimportanceoftheforestsaroundthem.WhentheMaharajah(king)ofJodhpurneededlumbertoburnlimefortheconstructionofhisnewcastle,hesenthismentotheforest.AmritaDeviandherdaughtersgaveuptheirlivestothecauseofprotectingthetreesinthatforest.Theyliterallylaytheirlivesinbetweentheaxesofthemenandthetrees.ThenewsofthemotheranddaughterssacrificereachedotherBishnoi.Bishnoifromover83villagesgatheredtocontinuethefightbegunbyAmritaDevi.Theprotestscontinueduntil363Bishnoiweredead.Onthenewsofthisultimatesacrifice,theMaharajahorderedthetreefellingtohaltandpassedadecreetoprotecttheforestsandanimalsaroundtheBishnoivillages.Fast-forwardtoApril1973wherethesuccessfulprotestoftheBishnoipeoplein

spiredthenameandworkofanotherconservationeffortinIndia,theChipko(embrace)Movement.Inthe1970sthevillagersofTehriandChamoli,nowinthestateofUttarakhandprotestedagainstthefellingoftheirforestsforthepurposeofcommerceandindustry.TheforestsinthefoothillsoftheHimalayaswerecriticaltothevillagersforfood,fodder,fuelandsoilstabilization.Thevillagersembracedthetreesandputthemselvesbetweenthetreesandtheaxe-menjustastheBishnoihaddoneyearsbefore.Themodernvillagersdidnthavetosacrificetheirlives,asdidtheirBishnoicounterparts,toachievesuccess.Themovementexperiencedamajorvictoryin1980whenthethenPrimeMinister,IndiraGandhi,respondedtothepeacefulprotestsandapproveda15-yearbanonfellingtreesintheforestsofUttarPradesh.TheChipkomovementspreadthroughoutIndiainthe80s.InUttaraKannadainthesouthernstateofKarnataka,Chipkomovement,locallyknownasAppikoChaluvali,wassuccessfulinsavingtreesf

romfelling.In1983intheKalase-Kudergodforest,150womenand30menstoppedtheaxmenbyhuggingtrees.SimilarsuccesseswereachievedintheforestsofBengaon,Husre,andNidgod.Allthesegrass-rooteffortstostopfellingledtoapolicychangewithintheIndiangovernmentthatwasmorefocusedontherequirementsofpeopleandecologicalimpact.

WhereandhowtheAppikoMovementstarted?

Afteravisittothebeach,itshardtobelievethatweliveinamaterialworld.PamShaw

UttarKannadaisaheavilyforesteddistrictinthestateofKarnatakainthewesternpartofthecountry.Thedistrictisuniqueinthatittraversesfiveimpo

rtantterrestrialecozones.Fromthewesttotheeastthereisthenarrowcoastalplain,theevergreenandmoistdeciduousforestsoftheWesternGhats,thedrydeciduousforestsandfurthereastthescrublands,makingitoneoftheimportantcentresofbiodiversityintheWesternGhats.Peoplehavetraditionallybeeninvolvedinagroforestryandhavemaintaineduniquemulti-tieredspiceorchardsdominatedbybetelnut(Arecacatechu).TheWesternGhatsriseupbehindthecoastalbeltofnorthernKarnatakainSouthIndia.Thesunlighthasapurityanddensityinthisuplandareathatyoucanalmosttouch.Itetchesshadowsonthedrydarkearth.Herethemeaningofbiodiversityisimmediatelyvisibleover80speciesoftreesareeasilyidentifiable,t

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raditionallyusedformedicine,fodder,fruit,fuelandconstruction.

Withthefellingandcommercializationofthisnaturalforest,theAppikomovementrose:apopularpeoplesresponseagainstdeforestationandtheruinofancientlivelihoods.AtthesametimetheforestdepartmentwasinvolvedinclearingofnaturalevergreenforestandplantationofmonocultureofTeakandEucalyptus.ThisdestructionoftropicalnaturalforestsandtheraisingofmonocultureplantationsofTeakandEucalyptuscausedirreversiblechangesintheforestecosystem.Thedestructionofmixedspeciesdeniedpeopleaccesstobiomassforfodder,fertiliser,etc.Theclearfellingofnaturalforestshasledtoseveresoilerosionanddryingupofperennialwaterresources.Movedbythedestructionofessentialecologicalprocesses,theyouthofSalkanivillageinSirsilaunchedaChipkomovementwhichwaslocallyknownasAppikoChaluvali.Theyembracedthetreestobefelledbycontractorsoftheforestdepartment.Theprotestwithintheforestcontinuedforthirtyeightdaysandfinallythefellingorderswerewithdrawn.ThesuccessofthisagitationspreadtootherplacesandthemovementhasnowbeenlaunchedineightareascoveringtheentireSirsiforestdivisioninUttaraKannadaandShimogadistricts.TheseareasincludedMathghatta,Salkani,Balegadde,Husei,Nedgod,KelginJaddi,VanalliandAndagi,Therapidspreadofthemovementwasbasedonevidenceprovidedbyvillagersthattheforestdepartmentwasover-exploitingtheforests.AppikoAndolangavebirthtoanewawarenessalloversouthernIndia.

WhytheMovementarises?

IwouldfeelmoreoptimisticaboutabrightfutureformanifhespentlesstimeprovingthathecanoutwitNatureandmoretimetastinghersweetnessandrespectingherseniority.ElwynBrooksWhite.

In1950,UttaraKannadadistrictforestcoveredmorethan81percentofitsgeographicalarea.Thegovernment,declaringthisforestdistrictabackwardarea,theninitiatedtheprocessofdevelopment.Theremajorindustriesapulpandpapermill,aplywoodfactoryandachainofhydroelectricdamsconstructedtoharnesstheriverssproutedintheseareas.Theseindustrieshaveoverexploitedtheforestresource,andthedamshavesubmergedhuge-forestandagriculturalareas.Theforesthadshrunktonearly25percentofthedistrictsareaby1980.Thelocalpopulation,especiallythepoorestgroups,weredisplacedbythedams.Theconversionofthenaturalmixedforestsintoteakandeucalyptusplantationsdriedup

thewatersources,directlyaffectingforestdwellers.Thesteadycomedownofforestcoverinthedistrictisduetomanyreasons.Themajorcauseshavebeenmanydevelopmentalprojectslikethepaperindustry,hydroprojectsandevenanuclearpowerplant.TheWestCoastpapermillhasbeenresponsibleforthedisappearanceofalargechunkofforests.Themillshaveunfairlyhighsubsidiesandhavebeenallowedtogooninspiteofnothavingadequateeffluenttreatmentfacilities.TheyhaveevenmanagedtogetportionsoftheDandeliWildlifeSanctuarydenotifiedforthepurposeofbambooextractionandcontinuetopressformoredenotificationsoftheprotectedareas.

TheSupadamwasbuiltovertheriverKaliin1976.Largetractsofforestsweresubmergedinthereservoir.ThetownshipsthatwerecreatedforthegovernmentemployeesandforthedamalsoresultedinfurtherdestructionThereisapropo

salforasimilarprojectovertheriverSharawatibutithasmetwithstiffoppositionfromthelocalcommunities.Theforestdepartmenttoohasplayedamajorroleinforestdecimation,particularlywithlarge-scalecommercialforestryoperations,whichareamongthelargestinthestate.Inanutshell,thethreemajorpspaper,plywoodandpowerwhichwereintendedforthedevelopmentofthepeople,haveresultedinafourthp:poverty.ThisongoingdevelopmentpolicyofexploitingtheresourcesmainlyforestandmineralresourcesintheWesternGhatsforthebenefitoftheelitehavedeprivedthepooroftheirself-supportingsystems.Thiskindofindiscriminatedestructionoftheforestswhichhadbeenrelativelyintactovercenturies&lossoflocaleconomytothehandsofprivatecontr

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actorshadprovokedthelocalcommunitiestoprotestagainstthis.ThustheAppikomovementcomeontheground.

ObjectiveoftheMovement

Weabuselandbecauseweregarditasacommoditybelongingtous.Whenweseelandasacommunitytowhichwebelong,wemaybegintouseitwithloveandrespect.AldoLeopold

TheAppikoMovementistryingtosavetheWesternGhatsbyspreadingitsrootsalloversouthernIndia.Themovementsobjectivescanbeclassifiedintothreemajorareas:-1)FirsttheAppikoMovementisstrugglingtosavetheremainingtropicalforestsintheWesternGhats.2)Second,itismakingamodestattempttorestorethegreenerytodenudedareas.3)Third,itisstrivingtopropagatetheideaofrationalutilizationinordertoreducethepressureonforestresources.Tosave,togrowandtouserationallypopularlyknowninKannadaasUbsu(save),Belesu(grow)andBalasu(rationaluse)ismovementspopularslogan.ThefiaofpriorityfortheAppikoMovementistheremainingtropicalforestsofWesternGhats.Theareaissosensitivethattoremovetheforestcoverwillleadtoalaterizationprocess,convertingthelandintorockymountains.Thusarenewableresourcesbecomesanonrenewableone.Oncelaterizationsetsin,itwilltakecenturiesfortreestogrowonthatland.BeforewereachsuchanextremepointtheAppikoMovementaimstosavetheremainingforestsintheWesternGhatsthroughorganizingdecentralizedgroupsatthegrassrootsleveltotakedirectacti

on.AlltheseobjectivesareimplementedthroughlocallyestablishedParisaraSamrakshnaKendras(environmentalconservationcentres).