The Birth of the Chipko Movement
by Valeria Yraita-Zevallos
The abundance of resources in one’s land does not always equate to having abundant access to said resources. The villagers and natives of the Himalayan regions in India felt what restricted access and privatization of their resources is like. Despite villagers depending on forests for “food, fuel, water purification, soil stabilization”[1], and lumber in general, the government of India took ownership of this land and limited its accessibility to the villagers. Thus, although the end of the Sino-Indian conflict in 1963 brought growth in development across the Himalayas, the predominant beneficiaries became government entities and private companies[2]. Leaving villagers of these regions isolated from their own resources and shut off from conversations on how to protect the forests. However, as the government continued to overstep its control over these regions by advancing government-backed logging, the local villagers challenged them via non-violent Gandhian-style protests of hugging trees to stop them from being cut. Thus, in 1973, the Chipko Movement was born[3].
For the villagers of the Himalayan regions in India, the forests have always been an essential part of their livelihoods, especially because the forests were fully free to be accessed by people up until 1821[4]. However, due to the development era that grew after the Sino-Indian conflict, the government implemented various policies that “prevented the villagers from managing the lands and denied them access to the lumber”[5]. In between this action by the government and other injustices in this region, activists began rising to protest these policies. Activists such as Chandi Prasad Bhatt, established the Dasholi Gream Swarjya Mandal (DGSM) in 1964, which was an organization that opposed large-scale industry and set out to “help unskilled and semiskilled construction workers in the Garhwal region of Uttar Pradesh to obtain employment”[6].
Slowly demonstrations began spreading across the Himalayas, and in 1971, there was a pivotal demonstration by villagers in Gopeshwar against the forest policies of the government and the denied request by the Forest Department for the DGSM to obtain 10 ash trees for its farm tools workshop and necessities, meanwhile the government accepted the Simon Company’s (“a sporting goods manufacturer in distant Allahabad”[7]) request for cutting down 300 trees[8] to be used for “making tennis and badminton rackets”[9]. Protests and community-organized debates among villagers and the Simon Company continued over the years, until 1973, when a big protest with hundreds of people broke out after the Simon Company began its plans to cut down the trees[10]. Hundreds took to the streets from Gopeshwar to Mandal with drums and singing to protest the Simon Company, successfully ending their presence in their region. And on the other hand, in that same year, a protest broke out near the Mandal village in Alaknanda Valley as the government denied the villagers’ appeals to stop all Simon Company logging in exchange for their access to lumber[11]. Thus, to be heard, the villagers established what later became their signature and most powerful tool. Hugging. Dozens of villagers, mainly women, began hugging trees to protest the government logging, beginning the initiation of the Chipko Movement. Chipko meaning “To Hug” or “To Cling to” in Hindi[12].
Women led the frontlines of the Chipko movement as the movement spread “through the Himalayan regions”[13]. Despite the involvement of men in the movement, women took charge of conversations and built grassroots efforts to stop the government's overreach of their land and degradation of the environment. In the Himalayan regions, women were the main ones responsible for cultivating crops for their families, protecting livestock, and caring for their young children[14][15]. Thus, the “environmental disasters” that came with logging, such as landslides and floods, began greatly affecting the lives of these women and their families. Leading them to step up to the frontlines to demand change and call for an end to any cutting of trees. Women not only led protests via hugging trees, they also actively participated and led meetings with Chipko workers, led processions, and established awareness programs for their communities, leading them to a breakthrough with men to reach the decision-making table in the Chipko movement that they originally were forbidden from[16][17]. Women such as Gaura Devi were key figures in spreading the Chipko movement into more villages, as she did in her village, Reni[18]. Throughout the increased participation of women in the Chipko movement, women in these regions began improving their leadership, started breaking down patriarchal norms, and successfully ignited a new generation of activism and openness to allow women to participate in it[19]. Despite this movement being led by strong and powerful women, it wasn’t born from a Western feminist philosophy, but rather, it was born simply by a genuine urge by women to fight the environmental degradation by the government and its injustices that were affecting their families and community. And as the author Shruti Singh highlights, “The participation of women in the Chipko movement serves as a reminder that environmental activism is not just a matter of protecting nature but also about social justice, gender equality, and human rights”[20].
The Chipko Movement demonstrated two things: 1) How historical factors can lead to the eventual cause for environmental degradation, and 2) How silenced communities can become the most powerful people to create effective change. This powerful women-led movement was only the beginning of the many other Chipko movements that erupted around the world, in places like Sweden and Japan, while retaining a strong presence in India, as in 2017, “a group of young boys and girls” enacted Chipko protests in West Bengal[21][22]. The Chipko movement not only brought up activists who continue fighting for environmental justice, such as Dr.Vandana Shiva[23], but it also inspired activists from around the world, such as Wangari Maathai in Kenya and Julia Butterfly Hill in California[24]. Overall, the Chipko Movement not only showed the power of a united people to fight injustices, but it also showcased the unique courage, strength, and dedication of women to fight to protect the environment and vulnerable communities. The work of the Chipko women will live on as an inspiration for many decades and centuries to come.
Endnotes
[1] Petruzzello, Melissa. 2025. “Chipko movement | History, Causes, Leaders, Outcomes, & Facts.” Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
[2] Petruzzello, Melissa. 2025. “Chipko movement | History, Causes, Leaders, Outcomes, & Facts.” Britannica.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Jain, Shobita. n.d. “Unasylva - No. 146 - Women in forestry - Standing up for trees: Women's role in the Chipko Movement.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed April 11, 2025. https://www.fao.org/4/r0465e/
[5] Petruzzello, Melissa. 2025. “Chipko movement | History, Causes, Leaders, Outcomes, & Facts.” Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
[6] Bedi, Simran. 2022. “The Chipko Movement: Treehuggers of India – The Nonviolence Project – UW–Madison.” The Nonviolence Project. https://thenonviolenceproject.
[7] “What is Chipko Movement? Google Doodle celebrates its 45th anniversary.” 2018. SAMVEGIAS. https://samvegias.com/what-is-
[8] Jain, Shobita. n.d. “Unasylva - No. 146 - Women in forestry - Standing up for trees: Women's role in the Chipko Movement.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed April 11, 2025. https://www.fao.org/4/r0465e/
[9] Chatterjee, Monish. 2023. “Chipko Movement Protects India's Forests.” EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/
[10] Chatterjee, Monish. 2023. “Chipko Movement Protects India's Forests.” EBSCO.
[11] Petruzzello, Melissa. 2025. “Chipko movement | History, Causes, Leaders, Outcomes, & Facts.” Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
Chatterjee, Monish. 2023. “Chipko Movement Protects India's Forests.” EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/
[12] Petruzzello, Melissa. 2025. “Chipko movement | History, Causes, Leaders, Outcomes, & Facts.” Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
[13] Bedi, Simran. 2022. “The Chipko Movement: Treehuggers of India – The Nonviolence Project – UW–Madison.” The Nonviolence Project. https://thenonviolenceproject.
[14] Jain, Shobita. n.d. “Unasylva - No. 146 - Women in forestry - Standing up for trees: Women's role in the Chipko Movement.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed April 11, 2025. https://www.fao.org/4/r0465e/
[15] Bedi, Simran. 2022. “The Chipko Movement: Treehuggers of India – The Nonviolence Project – UW–Madison.” The Nonviolence Project. https://thenonviolenceproject.
[16] Jain, Shobita. n.d. “Unasylva - No. 146 - Women in forestry - Standing up for trees: Women's role in the Chipko Movement.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Accessed April 11, 2025. https://www.fao.org/4/r0465e/
[17] Kaur, Samarpreet. 2020. “WHEN WOMEN LEAD: LOOKING BACK AT THE CHIPKO MOVEMENT.” Breakthrough. https://inbreakthrough.org/
[18] Chatterjee, Monish. 2023. “Chipko Movement Protects India's Forests.” EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/
[19] Shruti Singh , Women in Chipko Movement, 6 (2) IJLMH Page 1799 - 1810 (2023), DOI: https://doij.org/10.10000/
[20] Shruti Singh , Women in Chipko Movement, 6 (2) IJLMH Page 1799 - 1810 (2023), DOI: https://doij.org/10.10000/
[21] “Three environmental agitations inspired by the Chipko movement.” 2018. The Indian Express. https://indianexpress.com/
[22] Sadak, Aysha, and Virendra Kumar. 2024. “50 Years On: The Legacy of India's Chipko Movement.” Earth.Org. https://earth.org/50-years-on-
[23] Doerr, Elizabeth. 2022. “| UC Global Health Institute.” | UC Global Health Institute. https://ucghi.
[24] Nalls, Gayil. n.d. “The Chipko Movement: An Indian Tree-Hugging Protest that Revolutionized Environmentalism.” Plantings. https://worldsensorium.com/
Bibliography
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Bhattacharya, Snigdhendu. 2017. “'Mini chipko' in Bengal: Youth hug trees to protest felling on national highway.” Hindustan Times. https://www.hindustantimes.
Chatterjee, Monish. 2023. “Chipko Movement Protects India's Forests.” EBSCO. https://www.ebsco.com/
Doerr, Elizabeth. 2022. “| UC Global Health Institute.” | UC Global Health Institute. https://ucghi.
Getty Conservation Institute. 2016. “Music of North India.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Grossman, Daniel. 2014. “High up in the Himalayas, Villagers Live Under the Shadow of An Unpredictable Lake.” Earth Island Journal. https://www.earthisland.org/
“India's Freedom.” 2015. https://www.gibranrivera.com/
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Kaur, Samarpreet. 2020. “WHEN WOMEN LEAD: LOOKING BACK AT THE CHIPKO MOVEMENT.” Breakthrough. https://inbreakthrough.org/
Nalls, Gayil. n.d. “The Chipko Movement: An Indian Tree-Hugging Protest that Revolutionized Environmentalism.” Plantings. https://worldsensorium.com/
“October in the Himalayas: Exploring Lesser-Known Mountain Villages.” 2024. HappyEasyGo. https://www.happyeasygo.com/
Petruzzello, Melissa. 2025. “Chipko movement | History, Causes, Leaders, Outcomes, & Facts.” Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
“Postcard: Chipko Artwork.” 1993. Akademi. https://www.akademi.co.uk/
“Review of Gentle Resistance, the Autobiography of Chandi Prasad Bhatt.” 2024. The Hindu. https://www.thehindu.com/
Sadak, Aysha, and Virendra Kumar. 2024. “50 Years On: The Legacy of India's Chipko Movement.” Earth.Org. https://earth.org/50-years-on-
Shruti Singh , Women in Chipko Movement, 6 (2) IJLMH Page 1799 - 1810 (2023), DOI: https://doij.org/10.10000/
“Three environmental agitations inspired by the Chipko movement.” 2018. The Indian Express. https://indianexpress.com/
Vijayendra, T. 2017. “The Bishnois, India's original environmentalists, who inspired the Chipko movement.” Ecologise. https://ecologise.in/2017/05/
“What is Chipko Movement? Google Doodle celebrates its 45th anniversary.” 2018. SAMVEGIAS. https://samvegias.com/what-is-
transcripción en español
La abundancia de recursos en la tierra no siempre equivale a un acceso abundante a ellos. Los nativos de las regiones del Himalaya en la India sintieron lo los efectos de vivir en un lugar donde el acceso a sus recursos son restringidos y privatizados. A pesar de su dependencia de los bosques para obtener alimentos, combustible, purificación de agua, estabilización del suelo[1] y madera en general, el gobierno de la India se apropió de estas tierras y limitó su acceso. Así, aunque el fin del conflicto chino-indio en 1963 trajo desarrollo en los Himalayas, los principales beneficiarios fueron las entidades gubernamentales y las empresas privadas[2]. Esto dejó a los aldeanos aislados de sus propios recursos y excluidos de las conversaciones sobre cómo proteger los bosques. Sin embargo, a medida del abuso de poder del gobierno, los aldeanos locales lo desafiaron mediante protestas pacíficas al estilo gandhiano, abrazando árboles para evitar el corte de los árboles. De ahí nació el Movimiento Chipko en 1973[3].
Para los habitantes de las regiones del Himalaya en la India, los bosques siempre han sido una parte esencial de su sustento, especialmente porque hasta 1821 se les permitió acceder libremente a ellos[4]. Sin embargo, debido al desarrollo que se produjo tras el conflicto chino-indio, el gobierno implementó diversas políticas que impidieron a los habitantes gestionar las tierras y les negaron el acceso a la madera[5]. Entre esta acción gubernamental y otras injusticias en la región, comenzaron a surgir activistas para protestar contra estas pólizas. Activistas como Chandi Prasad Bhatt fundaron la Dasholi Gream Swarjya Mandal (DGSM) en 1964 empezaron a pelear por los derechos de los nativos en el Himalaya. Esta organización se oponía a la industria a gran escala y se propuso ayudar a los trabajadores de la construcción de la región de Garhwal, en Uttar Pradesh, a obtener empleo[6]. Esto empezó a crear grupos de activistas.
Poco a poco, las manifestaciones comenzaron a extenderse por el Himalaya, y en 1971, hubo una manifestación crucial de los aldeanos de Gopeshwar contra las políticas forestales del gobierno y la denegación de la solicitud del Departamento Forestal para que la DGSM obtuviera 10 fresnos para su taller de herramientas agrícolas y artículos de primera necesidad. Mientras tanto, el gobierno aceptó la solicitud de la Compañía Simon ("un fabricante de artículos deportivos en la lejana Allahabad"[7]) de talar 300 árboles[8] para ser utilizados en la "fabricación de raquetas de tenis y bádminton"[9]. Las protestas y los debates organizados por la comunidad entre los aldeanos y la Compañía Simon continuaron a lo largo de los años, hasta 1973, cuando estalló una gran protesta con cientos de personas después de que la Compañía Simon comenzara sus planes de talar los árboles[10]. Cientos de personas salieron a las calles desde Gopeshwar hasta Mandal con tambores y cantos para protestar contra la Compañía Simon, poniendo fin con éxito a su presencia en la región. Por otro lado, ese mismo año, estalló una protesta cerca de la aldea Mandal, en el valle de Alaknanda, cuando el gobierno denegó las peticiones de los aldeanos de detener la tala de la Compañía Simon a cambio de su acceso a la madera[11]. Así, para hacerse oír, los aldeanos establecieron lo que más tarde se convertiría en su herramienta más poderosa: el abrazo. Decenas de aldeanos, principalmente mujeres, comenzaron a abrazar árboles para protestar contra la tala del gobierno, dando inicio al Movimiento Chipko. Chipko significa "abrazar" o "aferrarse" en hindi[12].
Las mujeres lideraron el movimiento Chipko a medida que este se extendía por las regiones del Himalaya[13]. A pesar de la participación de los hombres, las mujeres lideraron las conversaciones y promovieron iniciativas de base para detener la extralimitación del gobierno en sus tierras y la degradación del medio ambiente. En las regiones del Himalaya, las mujeres fueron las principales responsables de cultivar para sus familias, proteger el ganado y cuidar de sus hijos pequeños[14][15]. Así, los desastres ambientales derivados de la tala, como deslizamientos de tierra e inundaciones, comenzaron a afectar gravemente la vida de estas mujeres y sus familias, lo que las llevó a ponerse en primera línea para exigir cambios y el fin de la tala de árboles. Las mujeres no solo lideraron protestas abrazando árboles, sino que también participaron activamente y dirigieron reuniones con trabajadores Chipko, encabezaron procesiones y establecieron programas de concienciación para sus comunidades, lo que las llevó a un avance con los hombres para llegar a la mesa de toma de decisiones del movimiento Chipko, a la que originalmente se les había prohibido acceder[16][17]. Mujeres como Gaura Devi fueron figuras clave en la expansión del movimiento Chipko a más regiones, como lo hizo en su region, Reni[18]. Con la creciente participación de las mujeres en el movimiento Chipko, las mujeres de estas regiones comenzaron a mejorar su liderazgo, a romper las normas patriarcales y a impulsar con éxito una nueva generación de activismo y apertura que permitió la participación de las mujeres en el movimiento Chipko[19]. A pesar de estar liderado por mujeres fuertes y poderosas, este movimiento no surgió de una filosofía feminista occidental, sino simplemente de un genuino deseo de las mujeres de luchar contra la degradación ambiental del gobierno y las injusticias que afectaban a sus familias y comunidad. Como destaca la autora Shruti Singh: «La participación de las mujeres en el movimiento Chipko sirve como recordatorio de que el activismo ambiental no se trata solo de proteger la naturaleza, sino también de justicia social, igualdad de género y derechos humanos»[20].
El Movimiento Chipko demostró dos cosas: 1) Cómo los factores históricos pueden causar la degradación ambiental, y 2) Cómo las comunidades silenciadas pueden convertirse en las personas más poderosas para crear un cambio efectivo. Este poderoso movimiento liderado por mujeres fue solo el comienzo de los muchos otros movimientos Chipko que surgieron en todo el mundo, en lugares como Suecia y Japón, al tiempo que mantuvo una fuerte presencia en la India, como en 2017, cuando un grupo de niños y niñas representó las protestas Chipko en Bengala Occidental[21][22]. El movimiento Chipko no solo impulsó a activistas que continúan luchando por la justicia ambiental, como la Dra. Vandana Shiva[23], sino que también inspiró a activistas de todo el mundo, como Wangari Maathai en Kenia y Julia Butterfly Hill en California[24]. En general, el Movimiento Chipko no solo mostró el poder de un pueblo unido para luchar contra las injusticias, sino que también exhibió el coraje, la fuerza y la dedicación única de las mujeres para luchar por la protección del medio ambiente y las comunidades vulnerables. El trabajo de las mujeres Chipko vivirá como inspiración durante muchas décadas y siglos venideros.
中文轉錄
奇普科运动的诞生
土地资源丰富并不总是意味着能够充分获取这些资源。
对于印度喜马拉雅地区的村民来说，
示威活动开始慢慢蔓延到喜马拉雅山脉。1971年，
随着“奇普科运动”在喜马拉雅地区蔓延[13]，
奇普科运动展现了两点：1）历史因素如何最终导致环境恶化；2）
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