Earth Day 2025: Chipko Movement to Jungle Bachao Andolan, List of Major Environmental Movements of India

Earth Day 2025: Every year on 22 April, the world celebrates Earth Day to raise awareness about the environmental issues and how to protect our biodiversity, flora and fauna. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, and later became a global event highlighting the need to address important issues related to our environment and the Earth. With a population of roughly 8 billion, the Earth is covered by 70% water, along with valleys, mountains, canyons, grasslands, and more. 

India is also suffering from major environmental issues like air pollution, water pollution, garbage dumping, and other problems. Contemporary India has become the victim of the exploitation of resources, due to rising demands and commercialisation. Several environmental movements have raised awareness to protect the country’s flora and fauna, favouring the sustainable management of natural resources. Let us know about some revolutionary environmental campaigns and movements that helped India become a better place.

Chipko Movement

The Chipko Movement, founded in the early 1970s in the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand (then Uttar Pradesh), was a nonviolent resistance movement aimed at preventing trees from being cut down. The action was led by local villagers, including notable activists such as Sunderlal Bahuguna and Gaura Devi, who hugged trees to prevent them from being cut down.  The then-state Chief Minister, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna, formed a commission to investigate the subject, which ultimately favoured the locals.

Bishnoi Movement

The Bishnoi Movement, founded in 1730 in Rajasthan, is one of India’s first environmental protests. It was led by Amrita Devi, a Bishnoi woman, who, along with around 363 other Bishnois, gave their lives to save khejri trees from being cut down by the Maharaja of Jodhpur.  The Bishnoi tree martyrs were influenced by the teachings of Guru Maharaj Jambaji, who created the Bishnoi faith in 1485 and established principles prohibiting harm to trees and animals.

Silent Valley Movement

The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has proposed a hydroelectric dam over the Kunthipuzha River, which flows through Silent Valley. In February 1973, the Planning Commission approved the project at a cost of approximately Rs 25 crores. Many were concerned that the proposal would drown 8.3 square kilometers of undisturbed damp evergreen forest. Several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) opposed the project and forced the government to cancel it. The initiative was successful, and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi named the region a national park in 1985.

Narmada Bachao Andolan

The movement began as a protest over the lack of effective rehabilitation and relocation for those displaced by the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam. Later, the movement shifted its focus to environmental preservation and the valley’s ecosystems. Activists also urged that the dam’s height be decreased to 88 m from the projected 130 m. The World Bank withdrew from the project.

Appiko Movement

Known as South India’s Chipko Movement, in 1983, the Appiko Movement began in Karnataka’s Western Ghats. It aimed to protect the tropical woods of the Uttara Kannada district from commercial logging. Villagers, including women and children, hugged trees in protest. The Appiko movement used a variety of strategies to raise awareness, including foot marches through the deep forest, slide displays, folk dances, street dramas, and more.

Jungle Bachao Andolan

The Jungle Bachao Andolan, which began in the 1980s in Bihar (now Jharkhand), was organized by tribal people to protest the government’s intention to replace natural sal forests with commercial teak plantations. Later, the movement expanded to Jharkhand and Orissa.

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